Palestinian prisoner Maher Al-Akhras continues his open hunger strike, in refusal of his administrative detention for the 81st day in a row at the Israeli Kaplan Hospital, while dozens of prisoners began an open hunger strike in solidarity with him.
Al-Akhras said in a letter that he would only eat at home, and demanded that he be allowed to see his mother and children after he had reached a dangerous health stage.
In a step in support of him, more than 90 prisoners embarked on an open hunger strike, and the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Allam Al-Kaabi said, "The entry of dozens of prisoners in a hunger strike comes to raise the alarm when they are exposed to inside prisons."
On the 12th of this month, the occupation court rejected again the request to release al-Akhras, and submitted a proposal in essence leaving the door open for the possibility of continuing his administrative detention and renewing it, on the condition that he stop his strike.
For his part, Stefan Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, quoted the UN Coordinator for the Peace Process in the Middle East, Nikolay Mladenov, his deep concern about the deteriorating health of the dumb prisoner.
Dujarric said that Mladenov renewed his call for Israel to file charges or immediately release all administrative detainees.
Palestinian solidarity
In a related context, Palestinian officials said today, Thursday, that the prisoner's health condition is critical, and that he has entered a "dangerous stage" that may lead to his death.
This came during a press conference held at the headquarters of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the city of Ramallah, with the participation of the Minister of Health May the College, Qadri Abu Bakr, Chairman of the Prisoners Affairs Authority of the PLO, and the President of the Prisoner Club, Qaddoura Fares.
The speakers called for urgent intervention to release him. Al-Kailah said that the health condition of the al-Akhras club is extremely dangerous, adding that there is a great fear that the members of al-Akhras's body will begin to stop working, "which will lead to his death."
Kaddoura Fares called for popular and factional action in support of Al-Akhras, and said, "We must all take action, and support Maher Al-Akhras's strike, to be a tool of pressure on the occupation state before it is too late."
In the Gaza Strip, Palestinians organized a stand today, Thursday, in front of the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross, in solidarity with Al-Akhras, and raised banners calling on the international community to intervene to release him and the rest of the prisoners.
According to Palestinian human rights organizations, the number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons is about 4,400, including 39 women, while the number of children detained is about 155 children, and the number of administrative detainees is about 350.