The Palestinian Detainees Committee has reported that six detainees in Israeli prisons are ongoing with hunger strikes demanding an end to their arbitrary Administrative Detention orders, despite their seriously deteriorating health conditions.

The Committee stated that, with each passing day, the detainees face further complications, but are determined to continue the strike.

It added that the Israeli prison authority is not only ignoring their demands, but also constantly placing them in solitary confinement cells, and repeatedly transfers them between various facilities, to prevent them from resting and to pressure them into ending the strike without listening to their demands.

The committee also stated that even the lawyers representing the detainees are facing numerous obstacles in trying to visit with the detainees, forcing them to file appeals with Israeli courts  just to be able to meet the detainees and talk to them.

The hunger-striking detainees are constantly monitored by surveillance cameras, and some of them were briefly sent to hospitals after more than 40 days of hunger strike.

Israel is trying to force the detainees to accept “offers” that include extended administrative detention orders, but the detainees constantly reject these attempts to oblige them to end their strikes, especially since they are not facing any charges.

The Committee stated that three detainees, Kayed al-Fasfous and Miqdad al-Qawasma, from Hebron in southern West Bank, and Ala’ al-A’raj, from Tulkarem in northern West Bank, are held at the Ramla prison clinic, which lacks physicians and basic medical supplies.

It said that al-Fasfous, 32, started the strike 62 days ago and that his health condition is deteriorating, especially constant sharp pain in the legs, kidneys, and abdomen, after he lost 30 kilograms of his body weight, and is threatening to stop drinking water if no serious resolution is reached.

Also, Miqdad al-Qawasma, 24, started the strike 55 days ago and is facing serious complications, headache, pain in the abdomen and kidneys area, serious weight loss, in addition to severe pain in the joints, forcing him to use a wheelchair due to serious risks of falling in addition to balance issues.

Furthermore, detainee Ala’ al-A’raj, 34, from Anabta near Tulkarem, started the strike 37 days ago, and is facing sharp pain in the chest and abdomen, in addition to spasms and weakness in the muscles; he also needs a wheelchair whenever he has to leave his bed.

The three other detainees are Hisham Abu Hawwash, from Doura, who started the strike 29 days ago, Rayeq Bisharat, from Tammoun near Tubas, who started the strike 24 days ago, and Shadi Abu Aker, 37, from Aida refugee camp, in Bethlehem, started the strike 21 days ago.

The Detainees’ Committee held Israel responsible for their lives and demanded various international organizations, including the International Red Cross, to intervene and perform their duties, in addition to acting on ending the illegal Israeli arbitrary Administrative Detention policies.

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