Palestinian Detainee Dying In ‘Israeli’ Prison After 67 Days of Hunger Strike

By Staff, Agencies

Palestinian detainee Khader Adnan is “dying” in an ‘Israeli’ prison clinic after 67 days on hunger strike, his wife and brother said on Wednesday.

A senior member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, 44-year-old Adnan has been on hunger strike to protest against his detention in Zionist prisons ever since he was arrested in an ‘Israeli’ raid on his home on 5 February.

His health has seriously deteriorated over the 67 days, with his wife Randa Moussa telling a press conference in Ramallah on Wednesday that he has fainted more than once and is suffering from severe dizziness and general weakness.

“My husband is dying and the ‘Israeli’ prison administration refuses to transfer him to a civilian hospital,” Moussa said. “Rather, it keeps him in Ramla prison, which lacks the minimum health facilities. We have asked more than once to transfer him to a hospital, but the request is always denied.”

Adnan has been imprisoned at least 11 times since 2004 and was a spokesperson for Palestinian prisoners inside ‘Israeli’ jails.

His first hunger strike came after his arrest in 2004, to protest at being held in so-called administrative detention, a controversial practice that allows ‘Israel’ to detain Palestinians without charge for six-month periods.

The hunger strike is seen by many as a symbol of Palestinian resistance, and this is the fifth Adnan has undertaken during detention, with one 67-day stretch in 2012 inspiring a wave of Palestinian prisoners held under administrative detention to join him.