Seven Palestinian hunger-striking prisoners suffer in Israeli jails

Occupied Palestine (QNN)- The number of Palestinian prisoners who has started an open hunger strike in protest of their unfair administrative detention in Israeli jails without a charge or trial has raised to seven.

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) said on Monday that Palestinian prisoner Hassan Shawka has started his hunger strike before 8 days.

There are now seven Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails continue their hunger strike although their health condition is deteriorating, as they have been suffering from powerful fatigue, exhaustion, headache, weight loss and more.

The longest hunger-striker is Kayed Fasfous, as he has been on hunger strike for 75 days, and he lost over 35 kilograms of his weight, and suffers from pain all over his body, his family said while expressing serious concern over their son’s health.

The 7 hunger-striking prisoners are:
•Kayed Fasfous (75 days of hunger strike)
•Alaa Al-A’raj (50 days of hunger strike)
•Miqdad al-Kawasma (69 days of hunger strike)
•Hisham abu Hawash (42 days of hunger strike)
•Rayek Bisharat (37 days of hunger strike)
•Shadi abu Akaer (34 days of hunger strike)
•Hasan Shawkah (8 days of hunger strike)

Around 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 4,850 Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli jails, among the prisoners are 540 administrative detainees held without charge or trial, 225 child prisoners and 41 female prisoners.

In June only, 615 Palestinians, including 92 minors and 24 women, were detained by Israeli occupation, while 100 administrative detention orders were issued.

In 2020 only, the Israeli occupation forces arrested 4,634 Palestinians, among them 543 children and 128 women, in addition to issuing 1,114 administrative detention orders.

By the end of March 2021, the number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees reached 4,450, including 37 women, 140 children, and 440 administrative detainees.

By the end of May 2021, the number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails reached 4,277 Palestinians, including 435 administrative detainees.