On Monday, the Palestinian Detainees’ Committee reported that two detainees, held by Israel under the arbitrary Administrative Detention orders without charges or trial, continue the hunger strike despite their deteriorating health.
The Committee said Khalil Awawda, 40, from Ethna town northwest of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, continues the hunger strike he started 96 days earlier.
It added that Raed Rayyan, 27, from Beit Duqqu village, northwest of occupied Jerusalem, started the hunger strike 61 days earlier.
The Committee said that, despite their seriously deteriorating health, the two detainees are determined to continue the hunger strike until reaching agreements ending their arbitrary Administrative Detention.
Twelve days ago, the Israeli authorities transferred Awawda to the infamous Ramla prison clinic that lacks specialists and basic supplies, although just a day earlier, an Israeli court authorized his transfer to a hospital due to the seriousness of his condition.
Awawda suffers from various issues, including sharp pain in the joints, migraine, fatigue, and blurry vision, and is now wheelchair-dependent because he has become unable to walk or even stand.
Awawda, a married father of four children, was abducted on December 17th, 2021, and has been held under the Administrative Detention orders without charges or trial. He is also a former political prisoner, abducted and detained several times.
On November 3rd, 2021, Rayyan was abducted and was slapped with a six-month Administrative Detention order renewed for four additional months shortly before the first order expired.
It is worth mentioning that more than five hundred Administrative Detainees continue to boycott the Israeli military courts for the 157th day, rejecting their continued illegal detention without charges.
Israel uses the Administrative Detention policy to keep hundreds of detainees held without charges or trial after alleging having “secret files” against the detainees, files that neither the detainees nor their lawyers have access to.
Administrative Detention orders are frequently renewed for three, four, six, or eight months each time, and in some cases, for a year.
