RAMALLAH, Sunday, January 02, 2022 (WAFA) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said last night it was seriously concerned about the fate of Palestinian prisoner Hisham Abu Hawwash after 139 days of hunger strike in Israeli jails, demanding his immediate release.
Abu Hawwash, a father of five from the West Bank town of Dura, has been on an open-ended hunger strike for five months in protest of his detention without a charge or trial under Israel’s controversial administrative detention policy.
“The ICRC continues to visit Mr. Hisham Ismail Ahmad Abu Hawash and is gravely concerned about his deteriorating health,” said ICRC on Twitter.
According to ICRC, “from a medical perspective, after 138 days of hunger strike, he is in critical condition requiring expert clinical monitoring.”
“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.”
Earlier yesterday, Jawad Boulos, an attorney of the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS), said Abu Hawwash is at high risk of sudden death, citing medical reports.
The Palestinian Authority’s Detainees Affairs Commission also said Abu Hawwash had entered an extremely critical health stage, demanding his immediate release.
This widely condemned Israeli policy of administrative detention allows the Israeli occupation military to sentence Palestinians up to 6 months in Israeli detention on secret information without charging them or allowing them to stand trial.
This policy has at times forced Palestinian detainees to go on hunger strike as a last resort to demand their freedom.
