Five Palestinian prisoners continue hunger strike in jail to protest Israel's detention policy

A Palestinian commission for prisoners says five Palestinian inmates are still on an open-ended hunger strike in protest against Israel’s so-called policy of administrative detention.

The Palestinian Commission of Detainees' and Ex-Detainees' Affairs said in a statement on Sunday that 34-year old prisoner Kayed Fasfous is the longest hunger striker among the five Palestinian inmates, who has been on hunger strike for 123 days in protest at his indefinite, unfair and unexplained imprisonment at the hands of the Tel Aviv regime, Palestine’s official Wafa news agency reported.

The other prisoners are Alaa Aaraj, Hesham Abu Hawwash, Ayyad Hureimi and Lo’ai al-Ashqar, who have been on hunger strike for 99, 90, 53 and 35 days respectively, the commission added.

Many people have posted messages on Twitter in solidarity with the hunger-striking Palestinian inmates.

Fasfous has been in hospital for nearly two months following serious deterioration in his health conditions.

Earlier in the day, Wafa quoting Fasfous’s brother, reported that doctors at the Israeli Barzilai Medical Center had told him that his brother has developed symptoms suggesting a clot in his blood, which is an early warning of the risk of sudden death.

Hunger-striking Palestinian inmate Kayed al-Fasfous to die any moment, doctors say

Fasfous, 34, has been on hunger strike for 123 days.

He also said his brother is suffering from irregular heartbeats, kidney problems, low blood pressure and serious decline in body fluids and vitamins.

Last Sunday, the Palestinian Commission of Detainees' and Ex-Detainees' Affairs said Fasfous’s health condition is extremely critical and that he might die any moment.

On the same day, thousands of Palestinian prisoners rejected meals in solidarity with their fellow inmates who have been on hunger strike for weeks.

The five Palestinian hunger strikers have been demanding an end to their administrative detention based on a “secret file” even their lawyers are not allowed to view. The so-called files are provided by the Israeli intelligence service.

Seven Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike to protest administrative detention

Palestinian inmates regularly stage hunger strike in protest at the administrative detention policy and harsh conditions in Israeli jails.

On Thursday, UN experts expressed grave fear for the lives of the hunger strikers, and called on Israel to either release or charge the prisoners and to completely end its unlawful practice of administrative detention.

Israel continues to use administrative detention to imprison Palestinians without charge or trial in violation of international law, “all based on classified secret information that the detainees have no access to,” the experts said.

"They have no recourse to challenging these undisclosed allegations, and they do not know when, or if, they are going to be released," they added.

More than 7,000 Palestinians are reportedly held in Israeli jails. Some prisoners have been held in administrative detention for up to 11 years.

Thousands of Palestinian prisoners reject meals in solidarity with 6 fellow hunger-striker inmates

Thousands of Palestinian prisoners reject meals in solidarity with six fellow inmates who are on hunger strike for weeks.

Palestinian inmates have also been subjected to systematic torture, harassment and repression all through the years of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Over a dozen Palestinian lawmakers and nearly 20 journalists are also held in Israeli detention centers, several of them under the administrative detention policy.

In 2015, Israel approved a law that authorizes force-feeding the Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike, a practice rejected by the United Nations as a violation of human rights.

The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as well as many human rights group have frequently expressed serious concern about hunger strikes’ health condition and call for their immediate release.

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