WEST BANK (Dispatches) – The health condition of Palestinian prisoner Hisham Abu Hawwash is deteriorating as he is “on the brink of death” after an open-ended hunger strike of 140 days in protest against the Zionist regime’s so-called policy of administrative detention, a Palestinian commission for prisoners has warned.
The Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ and Ex-Detainees’ Affairs said in a statement on Monday that the 40-year-old Palestinian inmate is in serious health condition and is facing the risk of sudden death at any moment as a result of his prolonged hunger strike in protest at his indefinite, unfair and unexplained imprisonment at the hands of the Zionist regime, the Palestinian Information Center reported.
Abdul Qader al-Khatib, the undersecretary of the commission, stressed that Abu Hawwash should be released immediately or transferred to Palestinian hospitals in order to be saved, as his health condition is rapidly deteriorating.
He further noted that the occupying regime’s refusal to release the hunger-striking inmate indicates that there is an intention to kill him, condemning the international community’s inaction on Tel Aviv’s continued violations.
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) attorney, Jawad Boulos, has also said the doctors have confirmed that Abu Hawwash is facing the risk of sudden death at any moment.
Abu Hawash, a father of five children, was arrested in October 2020 and held in an Israeli jail under administrative detention, a form of imprisonment in which the individual is never tried and can be held indefinitely. He is one among several other hunger-striking Palestinians who are demanding an end to their detention without charge.
On December 27, the Zionist occupation authorities issued a decision to freeze the administrative detention order against Abu Hawash. However, his lawyer said the Palestinian inmate had decided to continue his hunger strike despite his deteriorating health condition until the order is canceled.
Meanwhile, Zionist troops have launched a violent crackdown on a protest in the northern part of the Israeli-occupied territories in support of Abu Hawwash.
Palestinians staged a demonstration in the city of Umm al-Fahem on Sunday night to express solidarity with Abu Hawwash.
The protesters called for the release of the hunger striker following reports of a severe deterioration in his health condition.
The Zionist troops physically assaulted the protesters and detained four of them.
Earlier on Sunday, a similar protest took place in the West Bank province of al-Khalil demanding the immediate release of Abu Hawwash.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Sunday expressed serious concern about the situation of Abu Hawwash, saying “Every effort must be made to find a solution to avoid irreversible health consequences and possible tragic loss of life... Every detainee must be treated humanely and with dignity.”