Palestinian Prisoner On Hunger Strike Lost Speech And Vision

With his health seriously deteriorating, Palestinian prisoner Hisham Abu Hawash spent 135 days on Wednesday on a hunger strike in protest against the administrative detention imposed by the Israeli authorities without specifying charges against him or allowing him to have a proper trial.

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The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) reported that Abu Hawash was transferred to a hospital due to his critical condition, as he has already lost speech and vision. On Tuesday, the Palestinian prisoner was visited by his two older children, who saw him for the first time since the hunger strike began. Israel, however, denied his wife permission to visit him.

On Monday, the Israeli authorities decided to "freeze" Abu Hawash’s administrative detention to transfer him to a hospital. This decision, however, does not imply the cancellation of his arbitrary detention, as it only means that the prison authorities and the Intelligence Service (Shin Bet) will no longer be responsible for the life of the detainee.

Two weeks ago, an Israeli court denied the petition to release the 40-year-old activist, who is the father of five children. On October 27, 2020, he received three consecutive administrative detention orders each for six months.

Abu Hawash has spent eight years in Israeli jails "for resisting the occupation," including 52 months in "administrative detention."

a legal figure that allows Israel to detain Palestinians without charge for renewed periods based on "evidence" that remains unknown for the defendant's attorneys. Although this legal aberration has been repeatedly condemned by the international community, the Israeli state continues to apply it arbitrarily and abusively.

Over 60 political prisoners have gone on hunger strike during 2021 in protest against both the administrative detention and the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory.