Lawyer: 3rd Hunger-striker Hospitalized in Israeli Jail

A Palestinian detainee who has been on hunger strike for 28 days was moved to Israel’s Ramla prison hospital, a lawyer said Wednesday.

Omar Abu Shalal, 55, from Nablus, has refused food for four weeks in protest over his detention without charge, Prisoner Society lawyer Jawwad Boulous told Ma’an.

Abu Shalal is being held in the same hospital room as detainees Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahla who have been on hunger strike for 36 days, Boulous said.

Boulous visited the hospital and said Halahla is suffering stomach pains, poor vision and severe headaches. The detainees are being put under pressure to end the strike, he added.

In a letter handed to Boulous, the detainees wrote: "We stand for those who support us and we call for freedom and we consider your support as food which gives us strength and determination.

"We greet Hana Shalabi who had continued her strike and followed what Khader Adnan started," they added.

Shalabi, 29, fasted for 43 days before reaching a deal with Israeli prison authorities. She was never charged with any crime and was freed to Gaza instead of her home in the northern West Bank.

Adnan went on hunger strike for 66 days until Israeli authorities agreed to release him in April. He has also not been charged with any crime.

The hunger strikes have drawn international attention to Israel’s policy of detaining Palestinians without charge, which has been applied to thousands of Palestinians since 1967.

Around 300 Palestinians are currently held in administrative detention in Israel, including around 20 MPs. They are not told why they are held or tried in court, and their lawyers are not informed of any evidence against them.

Israel’s practice of transferring residents outside occupied territory is illegal under international law.

(Ma’an News)

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