Israel: Palestinian on hunger strike in critical condition
Accused of having links with the Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian armed group, Maher el-Akhras, 49, was arrested in July near Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank.
REUTERS
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It is a subject of regular litigation between Israel and the Palestinians: a Palestinian detainee is on hunger strike to protest against his administrative detention.
This regime allows Israel to imprison Palestinians without formally indicting them.
After more than 80 days of hunger strike, Maher el-Akhras is now in critical condition and several NGOs believe that his death could be imminent.
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From our correspondent in Jerusalem
,
Guilhem Delteil
In a video shot this Wednesday, October 14 and broadcast by Palestinian activists, Maher el-Akhras appears on his hospital bed.
Weakened, he addresses the camera in a very small voice, but he affirms his determination: "
I will not eat until I get home
" he says, despite the threats that now weigh on his life.
On Monday, October 12, the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem estimated that he was "
on the verge of death
".
And another Israeli organization, Doctors for Human Rights, points out that hunger strikers start dying 75 days after they stop eating.
Maher el-Akhras is 82 days on hunger strike.
He denounces his arrest and his incarceration without charge.
This Palestinian businessman was arrested in early July in his village in the north of the West Bank.
According to the Israeli security services, he is a member of Islamic Jihad, a group considered terrorist by Israel, and he posed an imminent risk to the security of the country.
He rejects these accusations.
The fate of Maher el-Akhras arouses a wave of emotion in the Palestinian territories.
In the West Bank as in Gaza, demonstrations of support were organized.
And the two main parties, Fatah and Hamas, have called for his release, arguing that his death could rekindle tensions.
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Israel
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