Cancer prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails

Mervat Sadeq-Ramallah

Two months ago, the families of Palestinian prisoners Hudhayfah Halabiya and Ahmad Ghannam have been moving between tents of solidarity and human rights organizations, in order to support the demands to stop their detention under the item of "renewed administrative detention" and release them to receive treatment for cancer and embrace their children banned from visiting them.

Since May, Hudhayfah Halabiya, 28, from the town of Abu Dis, east of occupied Jerusalem, has launched an open-ended hunger strike after renewing his administrative detention for the third time to allow him to embrace his child Majdal. She was born six months ago and was unable with her family to Visit him and meet him at all.

Mahasin Halabiya, the prisoner's mother, says he was about to end his treatment for leukemia at the time of his arrest, and the IPS did not provide him with the necessary health care.

The family, who have not been allowed to visit him since May, knew that their son was being held at the Ramla prison clinic with nine other prisoners on hunger strike and that their health had deteriorated.

Since 2013, Halabiya has been detained four times, most recently on June 10, 2018, and has been transferred to administrative detention by the Israeli occupation authorities.He was previously accused of activism in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Israel refuses to release Halabiya despite his illness on the grounds that he is "a threat to the security of his state of Israel," prompting him to respond by announcing his intention to stop drinking water in early September if he is not released.

His mother said that 14 months ago did not receive the periodic tests necessary to follow up his health, especially heart and liver tests where he suffers from a kidney dysfunction and stones.

Halabiya, who has been on strike for 60 days, and Ghannam for 57 days, are the most difficult cases among the strikers. Ghannam, 42, also suffers from leukemia, as well as kidney and stomach diseases.

In a wheelchair
Fatima Ghannam, the sister of the prisoner, said that he was in a serious health condition and was traveling in a wheelchair. He suffered from leukemia and had undergone a marrow transplant.

Ghannam has been detained for nine years in Israeli jails, and in recent years he has been arrested several times according to a "secret file". The occupation authorities refuse to disclose his charges. He has been on hunger strike since the first days of his last arrest at the end of June and his family has not been allowed to visit him.

His sister added that he had lost about 20 kilograms since the start of his strike, his eyesight was significantly weakened, and he suffered from a liver defect and stomach ulcers, calling for his rescue from death due to the deterioration of his immune system, allowing his release and treatment and returning to his two children Muhammad and Omar.

In addition to Halabiya and Ghannam, seven Palestinian prisoners have been on hunger strike for varying periods, including Islamic Jihad leader Tariq Qa'dan, who has been on strike for a month, Sultan Khallouf for 43 days, Ismail Ali for 37 days, Nasser al-Jada for 23 days, and Thaer. Hamdan 18 days, Fadi wars 17 days, and Hammam Abu Rahma, who joined the strike four days ago.

Attempts to exhaust them
For his part, the Prisoners Club said that the Israeli authorities deliberately procrastinate in meeting the demands of the prisoners to end their administrative detention in an attempt to physically exhaust them and cause them serious illnesses.

According to the club, all the strikers suffer from low weight and emaciation and severe weakness, and most of them are going out to visit his lawyer using a wheelchair, and some of them who have been suffering from frequent vomiting for weeks.

He pointed out that dozens of prisoners have been on hunger strikes since the beginning of this year to reject administrative detention and other demands such as treatment.

The number of administrative prisoners in Israeli jails is estimated at about 500, who are in Ofer, Megiddo and Negev prisons.

Club president Qaddoura Fares said that the Palestinian national movement outside prisons is required to provide a back-up program that pressures the occupation to stop the policy of administrative detention, because the prisoners alone are unable to break this policy, especially since there is no justification for Israel to the international community in the use of administrative detention dating back to the mandate era British.

Israel has been intransigent to the demands of the striking prisoners, according to Fares, to deter others from using the hunger strike as a weapon for his release, and said it "is determined to keep this backward law despite international criticism."

Faris warned in an interview with Al Jazeera Net of the martyrdom of one of the striking prisoners, especially as most of those who exceeded thirty days of them have entered into a serious threat to their lives.