Starving for freedom: 6 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails continue their hunger strike
Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Six Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails continue their open hunger strike in protest of their unfair administrative detention without a charge or trial.
The Six hunger-striking prisoners’ health condition has been deteriorating, as they have been suffering from powerful fatigue, exhaustion, headache, severe weight loss, and deficiency of fluids in the body.
The longest hunger-striker is Kayed Fasfous, as he has been on hunger strike for 88 days, and he lost over 40 kilograms of his weight, and suffers from pain all over his body, his family said while expressing serious concern over their son’s health.
Fasfous is followed by Miqdad Qawasmi, who has been on a hunger strike for 81 days. Qawasmi’s health condition has been deteriorating severely as he lost over 20 kilograms of his weight, and he is held now in the Kaplan Medical Center as a patient, rather than as a detainee.
Israel’s High Court has frozen Qawasmi’s administrative detention on Wednesday. The court’s order does not release Qawasmi from administrative detention – it simply freezes the order for the period of his treatment and observation, as his health condition has been deteriorating severely. But Qawasmi said he will continue his strike until he gains freedom.
The 6 hunger-striking prisoners are:
•Kayed Fasfous (88 days of hunger strike)
•Alaa Al-A’raj (64 days of hunger strike)
•Miqdad Qawasmi (81 days of hunger strike)
•Hisham abu Hawash (55 days of hunger strike)
•Rayek Bisharat (50 days of hunger strike)
•Shadi abu Akaer (47 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 4,650 Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli jails, among the prisoners are 520 administrative detainees held without charge or trial, 200 child prisoners and 40 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.
