In a powerful act of defiance, ten Palestinian prisoners have launched an indefinite hunger strike to protest against their administrative detention and mistreatment at the hands of Israeli prison authorities. The hunger strike has been ongoing for varying lengths of time, with eight of the prisoners refusing food to reject their detention outright.
Among the prisoners, Sultan Khalouf and Kayed Fasfous have been on hunger strike for 24 days, while Osama Dakrouk has gone without food for 20 days. Also taking part are Mohammad Taysir Zakarna, Anas Ahmad Kamil, Abdulrahman Iyad Baraqah, and Zahdi Talal Obaidou, who have been hunger striking for 17 days, and Seif Al-Din Dhiab Al-Amareen, who has joined the protest by fasting for seven days.
The Palestinian Prisoners Club notes that Hatem Al-Qawasmi, who has been incarcerated since 2003 and given a life sentence, has been on a hunger strike for 14 days demanding transfer to the same prison as his brother, Hazem Al-Qawasmi.
Meanwhile, Maher Al-Akhras from Jenin has continued his hunger strike since his arrest last Tuesday during a heavily armed Israeli occupation forces raid in the town of Silet Al-Dhahr in the southern part of Jenin.
The protest coincides with similar boycotts among around 60 detainees at “Ofer” prison and detention centers who are refusing to participate in Israeli occupation military courts.
The Waed Association for Prisoners highlighted that the arrests were highly targeted and punitive, with many university students, former detainees, wounded individuals, farmers, and workers among those detained. The vast majority of the detainees are being held under administrative detention.
Source: Palestinian Agencies (edited by Al-Manar English Website)
