“My son dreams for a good life,” says mother of 103-day-hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner in Israeli jails

Occupied Palestine (QNN)- The mother of Palestinian prisoner in Israeli jails Miqdad Qawasmi, who has been on an open-ended hunger strike for 103 consecutive days, has urged US Congress members and international human rights groups to help and save her son.

In a recorded video exclusively obtained by Quds News Network from Qawasmi’s family, his mother has called on the US Congress members, including Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Betty McCollum and international human rights organizations to intervene and save her son.

“I am the mother of the detainee, Miqdad al-Qawasmi, from Hebron. My son is 24 years old. Miqdad is suffering today from a very serious health condition. He’s currently in the Intensive Care Unit,” said Miqdad’s mother in her appeal to the US Congress members and human rights groups.

She continued, “He’s suffering from severe pain all over his body. He lost over 40 kilograms of his weight. His health is continuously deteriorating. There are problems in his liver and he has Bacteremia. His heart rate was very low a few days ago. There’s no improvement in his health.”

“Miqdad did this, and he’s going on with his hunger strike because he didn’t find any other way to regain his freedom. Miqdad was sentenced to administrative detention without any legal justification or any charge just based on a secret file which is controlled by the mood of the officer just because he received information that it’s unlikely for this person to be outside the prison.”

“My son didn’t commit any charge,” she said while her facial expressions say more about her son and her sadness.

“Today, Miqdad is struggling for life. He hopes to return to his home. He deprived himself of food to enjoy life and regain freedom. There must be an urgent intervention to save Miqdad’s life,” Miqdad’s mother said.

She added, “I call on all the honored people in the world to intervene to save his life. Today, I am sending my message to the American people to intervene to save his life.”

“Today, I am sending my message to the American people, to the Congress members: Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Betty McCullom,” she appealed to the three US Congresswomen, saying she’s afraid her son would die.

“I call on all the decision makers in this whole world, especially the international human rights organizations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and all the organizations that can save my son’s life.”

“My son didn’t ask for death. He dreams to live a good life and this is a normal right.”

Who’s Miqdad Qawasmi?

Qawasmi, a 24-year-old resident of the southern occupied city of Hebron, was detained in January 2021.

Since July 20, he has been on an open-ended hunger strike for 103 consecutive days against his unfair administrative detention without a charge or a trial in Israeli jails.

Qawasmi has previously spent a total of four years in Israeli jails for resisting the occupation.

Qawasmi’s health condition has been deteriorating severely as he lost over 40 kilograms of his weight, and he is held now in the Kaplan Medical Center as a patient, rather than as a detainee.

Qawasmi’s family said that he has started losing a part of his memory and that Israeli doctors in the hospital are threatening to force-feed Qawasmi as they tried to coercively treat Qawasmi while he was tied to his bed in the ICU.

On October 6, Israel’s High Court froze Qawasmi’s administrative detention.

Such a decision does not release Miqdad from administrative detention – it simply freezes the order for the period of his treatment and observation, as his health condition has been deteriorating severely.

The court’s decision also means that the administration of prisons and the Intelligence service are not responsible for his life, and turning him into an unofficial prisoner held at the hospital, under the guardianship of the hospital’s security instead of the jailors.

His family and relatives are able to visit him at the Kaplan Hospital as a patient, rather than as a detainee, but his family are not allowed to transfer him to any place.

But Qawasmi said he will continue his strike until he gains freedom.

An Appeal for US Congress and Human Rights Groups

Along with Miqdad, there are another five hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners:

•Kayed Fasfous (110 days of hunger strike)
•Alaa Al-A’raj (85 days of hunger strike)
•Hisham abu Hawash (76 days of hunger strike)
•Ayyad Harimi (40 days of hunger strike)
•Shadi abu Akaer (69 days of hunger strike)

On Friday, the families of the six Palestinian prisoners sent a letter to the US Congress members and human rights organizations, calling them to save their sons’ lives who might die any moment amid severe health deterioration.

The families said they have turned their appeal to the US Congress and concerned human rights groups as the Biden’s administration and the international community have placed their concern and focus on Israel’s latest settlement expansion and decision to label six Palestinian human rights NGOs as “terror groups.”

The families said the Israeli occupation government is taking advantage of the above-mentioned situation “to impose a blackout of information” on their sons.

Israel’s Administrative Detention VS. Palestinians’ Hunger Strike

Over 40 Palestinian detainees started hunger strike since the start of 2021, in protest against Israel’s detention without a charge or trial.

Administrative detention is illegal under international law, however, the occupation state uses it to repress the Palestinian people.

‘Israel’ routinely uses administrative detention and has, over the years, placed thousands of Palestinians behind bars for periods ranging from several months to several years, without charging them, without telling them what they are accused of, and without disclosing the alleged evidence to them or to their lawyers.

Thus, the hunger strike is a method of a non-violent resistance which the prisoners use to protect their lives and their fundamental rights and a response to the occupation racist policies which they face in the prisons.

There are 4,650 Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli jails, among the prisoners are 520 administrative detainees held without charge or trial, 200 child prisoners and 39 female prisoners.