[Pnews] Six Hunger Striking Palestinian Prisoners Face Deteriorating Health Conditions, Imminent Threats to Life

[Prisoner News]

addameer.org <https://www.addameer.org/news/4525> Six Hunger Striking
Detainees Face Deteriorating Health Conditions, Imminent Threats to Life
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13-10-2021

Recent visits by Addameer lawyers and lawyers representing the
hunger-striking detainees confirm the severity of the health conditions of
six Palestinian detainees, rising in certain cases to imminent threats to
life, as they maintain ongoing open hunger strikes in protest of their
administrative detention. The six hunger-striking detainees include *Kayed
Fasous*, 32 years old, who has since reached 91 days, *Miqdad Al-Qawasameh*,
24 years old, completing 84 days, *Alaa Al-Araj*, 34 years old, on strike
for over 67 days, *Hisham Ismail Abu Hawasheh*, 39 years old, reaching 58
days, *Rayeq Sadiq Bisharat*, 45 years old, who has since reached 53 days,
and *Shadi Abu Akar*, 37 years old, completing 50 days on hunger strike.

On 30 September 2021, Addameer’s lawyer was able to visit hunger-striking
detainees *Kayed Fasous* and *Alaa Al-Araj* who are currently detained in
Ramleh Prison Clinic following several transfers to Israeli hospitals after
the deterioration of their health. On more than one occasion, Kayed Fasous
refused to drink water for two days in protest further worsening health
conditions and leading to repeated transfers to the hospital, during which
he additionally refused medical examinations. Kayed was last transferred to
Barzilai Hospital following an abnormally low heart rate, which posed an
imminent threat to his life. Nevertheless, Kayed spent five days in the
hospital under heavy security, with over 15 prison guards watching over him
and his feet and hands handcuffed to the hospital bed. Kayed was not
allowed to go to the bathroom and was instead given a flask to relieve
himself. Medical examinations revealed a severe deficiency in potassium and
vitamin B. He lost over 35kg after his weight dropped to 59kg, from his
original weight of 95kg at the beginning of his strike. Currently, Kayed
Fasous is incarcerated in Ramleh Prison Clinic, where he suffers from pain
in his feet, joints, and back, severe cramps, headaches, and interrupted
sleep, as he is unable to sleep more than two hours due to the daily
inspections, constant noise, and knocking on windows by Israeli prison
guards.

Similarly, Alaa Al-Araj suffers from severe deteriorating health
conditions, as confirmed by Addameer’s lawyer, including dizziness,
fainting, difficulty in concentration, forgetfulness, pain across his body,
particularly his face and extremities, loss of bladder control, inability
to sleep, and the regurgitation of water. The poor physical conditions of
his health is in part due to, and exacerbated, by harsh retaliatory
practices by Israeli Prison Services (IPS). Following the beginning of his
strike, Alaa was placed in solitary confinement, during which he spent two
days in an extremely filthy and small cell, with closed windows, and “full
of cockroaches” that he was forced to clean himself. IPS confiscated his
personal belongings, including blankets, a towel, a Quran, and a prayer
rug. Following the deterioration of his health, Al-Araj was transferred
twice to an Israeli hospital before being returned to Ramleh Prison Clinic,
where he currently resides. Both Alaa Al-Araj and Kayed Fasous recounted to
Addameer’s lawyer retaliatory punitive measures by IPS, as well as the
provocation of guards who would bring food to them and eat loudly in front
of them, while also purposely delaying answering to any necessities they
asked for.

Meanwhile, on 11 October 2021 Adv. Jawad Boulos was able to gain access to
three prisoners on hunger strike, *Miqdad Al-Qawasameh,* currently in
critical condition in the Israeli Kaplan hospital, *Hisham Abu Hawasheh,*
and *Shadi Abu Akar*, both of whom are incarcerated in Ramleh Prison
Clinic. Boulous confirmed the precarity of Miqdad’s condition, who has
since drastically lost weight, suffering from severe symptoms due to his
deteriorating health, including difficulty in speaking, and now faces an
imminent threat to life, which increases with every passing hour. On 6
October 2021, the Israeli High Court ruled to “freeze” the detention order
against Miqdad Al- Qawasmeh. The decision to “freeze” the administrative
detention order does not in any way cancel the order or eliminate the risk
of renewing it, or even proceeding with the remaining duration afterward.
Rather, it is an attempt to break Miqdad’s ongoing open hunger strike,
while circumventing his right to legitimately defend himself and seek
justice. Miqdad continues to remain on hunger strike in protest of his
administrative detention order, surpassing 84 days.

In addition, Adv. Boulos noted the poor and dangerous health conditions of
Hisham Abu Hawasheh and Shadi Abu Akar, both of whom were brought on
wheelchairs. They continue to suffer from severe headaches and pain across
their body, severe emaciation, constant vomiting, and difficulty sleeping.
On 11 October 2021, an Israeli military court held a session that was
scheduled to confirm the renewal of his administrative detention order for
another six months. The confirmation was postponed by the court to 19
October 2021, pending a medical report on his health condition. Similarly,
Alaa Al-Araj is expected to be transferred to an Israeli hospital to
provide the Israeli High Court with an updated medical report on his health
conditions to decide on the suspension of his administrative detention
order. Moreover, in addition to the six prisoners, Palestinian detainee
Khalila Abu Aram announces his hunger strike on 10 October 2021, in
solidarity of the current striking detainees. Other detainees may also join
in the coming days in solidarity.

Noting the gravity of the situation, Addameer Prisoner Support and Human
Rights Association submitted an update to UN Special Rapporteurs on 12
October 2021, following up on an urgent appeal submitted in September, on
the conditions of the six hunger-striking detainees. Addameer especially
calls on the respective mandates to intervene to call on Israel, as the
Occupying Power, to end its illegal and systematic practice of
administrative detention against the Palestinian people.

Administrative detention orders, grounded in ambiguous and ever-expanding
“security reasons,” are leveraged by Israeli occupation authorities as a
means of collective punishment against Palestinians across the occupied
territories. The issuance and confirmation of administrative detention
orders have drastically increased this year. In 2020, Addameer documented
over 1,114 administrative detention orders issued against protected
Palestinians. By contrast, Addameer documented over 759 administrative
detention orders against protected Palestinians in the first half of 2021
alone, far surpassing previous years. Currently, 520 Palestinians are held
in administrative detention without charge.

Addameer stresses the seriousness of the hunger-striking detainees’ health
conditions, which is exacerbated by IPS retaliatory and punitive practices
and ill-treatment. Addameer calls upon their immediate and unconditional
release, along with the release of all administrative detainees and the end
to the Israeli occupation’s systematic practice of administrative detention.
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