Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Palestinian Detainee Ends Hunger Strike, Expects Release
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 2 years ago on
September 7, 2022

Share

 

A Palestinian detainee held by Israel without charge or trial said Wednesday that he is ending his nearly six-month hunger strike after reaching an agreement that will see him released in October.

Lawyers and physicians had warned that the Khalil Awawdeh, a 40-year-old father of four from the occupied West Bank, was at risk of dying and already suffering neurological damage from the prolonged hunger strike. In recent pictures, he appears extremely gaunt and ill, his skin tightly stretched over a bony frame.

In a video circulated online Wednesday and apparently shot from his hospital bed, Awawdeh confirmed that an agreement had been reached for his release, calling it a “resounding victory” for the Palestinian people.

Awawdeh was protesting being held without charge or trial in what’s known as administrative detention. Israel says the practice is needed to keep dangerous militants off the streets without revealing sensitive intelligence. The Palestinians and rights groups say it denies detainees the basic right of due process.

The Commission of Detainee Affairs, part of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said Awawdeh had reached an agreement that would see him released on Oct. 2, “after fighting an epic battle for which he sacrificed his flesh and life.”

It said he will remain in an Israeli hospital until he has fully recovered.

The exact details of the agreement were unclear. The Israeli military, the prison service and the Defense Ministry declined to comment. The Shin Bet internal security service did not respond to a request for comment.

Israel accuses Awawdeh of being a member of the Islamic Jihad militant group, an allegation he denies. The group had demanded his release as part of the cease-fire that ended three days of heavy fighting in Gaza earlier this month, without identifying him as a member.

Ahlam Haddad, Awawdeh’s lawyer, said this week that her client weighs 37 kilograms (around 80 pounds) and is suffering from neurological damage. He took vitamins over two weeks in June when he thought his case was being resolved but has otherwise only had water since the strike began in March, his family says.

Israel had officially suspended his arrest, but he remained in custody at an Israeli hospital.

Several Palestinians have gone on prolonged hunger strike in recent years to protest being held in administrative detention. In most cases, Israel has eventually released them after their health significantly deteriorated. None have died in custody, but many have suffered irreparable neurological damage.

Israel is currently holding some 743 administrative detainees, the highest number since 2008, according to the Israeli human rights group HaMoked, which tracks the number using official figures obtained through freedom of information requests.

The number of administrative detainees has shot up in recent months as Israeli forces have carried out nightly raids in the occupied West Bank following a series of deadly attacks against Israelis earlier this year. Nearly all administrative detainees are Palestinian, as the practice is rarely used with Jewish detainees.

“Administrative detention should be a rare, exceptional measure, but it’s standard practice in Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, with hundreds of people held for months at a time, without charge or trial, solely on the basis of secret information,” said Jessica Montell, the director of HaMoked. “All of these detainees should be given a fair trial or released immediately.”

Israel is currently holding some 4,400 Palestinian prisoners, including militants who have carried out deadly attacks, as well as people arrested at protests or for throwing stones. The Palestinians view all of them as political prisoners held for resisting Israel’s 55-year military occupation of territories the Palestinians want for a future state.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Judge Says Fresno Can Change Street Names: Cesar Chavez Blvd Lawsuit Tossed

DON'T MISS

The Aga Khan, Spiritual Leader of Ismaili Muslims and a Philanthropist, Dies at 88

DON'T MISS

Trump Wants US to Take Ownership of Gaza and Redevelop It After Palestinians Are Resettled

DON'T MISS

Fresno High-Speed Chase Ends in Arrests After Crash, Standoff

DON'T MISS

NFL Commish Calls Chiefs Conspiracy Theory ‘Ridiculous’ but Terrell Owens Floats One

DON'T MISS

Where Will Californians Rally During Nationwide Protest Against Trump Administration?

DON'T MISS

Estee Lauder to Cut up to 7,000 Jobs as Sales Slide

DON'T MISS

Visalia Police Arrest Three, Seize Ghost Gun and Drugs

DON'T MISS

Mexico Deploys 10,000 National Guard Members to US Border: What to Know

DON'T MISS

Trump Says the ‘Gaza Thing Has Never Worked’

UP NEXT

Trump Wants US to Take Ownership of Gaza and Redevelop It After Palestinians Are Resettled

UP NEXT

Trump Says the ‘Gaza Thing Has Never Worked’

UP NEXT

Trump Has Plan to Have Iran ‘Obliterated’ if It Assassinates Him

UP NEXT

Jewish Population in West Bank Keeps Rising. Settlers Hope Trump Will Accelerate Growth

UP NEXT

China Counters With Tariffs on US Products. It Will Also Investigate Google.

UP NEXT

About 10 Killed in Shooting at Adult Education Center in Sweden’s Worst Mass Shooting

UP NEXT

Jewish Author Calls for Rethinking Jewish Identity in Wake of Gaza Destruction

UP NEXT

Trump Agrees to Pause Tariffs on Canada, Mexico After They Pledge to Boost Border Enforcement

UP NEXT

How Trump’s Pledge to Punish South Africa Reflects Musk’s Criticism of His Homeland

UP NEXT

At Least 19 Killed Mostly Women in a Car Bomb Explosion in Northern Syria

Fresno High-Speed Chase Ends in Arrests After Crash, Standoff

7 hours ago

NFL Commish Calls Chiefs Conspiracy Theory ‘Ridiculous’ but Terrell Owens Floats One

8 hours ago

Where Will Californians Rally During Nationwide Protest Against Trump Administration?

8 hours ago

Estee Lauder to Cut up to 7,000 Jobs as Sales Slide

8 hours ago

Visalia Police Arrest Three, Seize Ghost Gun and Drugs

9 hours ago

Mexico Deploys 10,000 National Guard Members to US Border: What to Know

9 hours ago

Trump Says the ‘Gaza Thing Has Never Worked’

10 hours ago

First Military Flight Departs to Send Migrants to Guantanamo Bay

10 hours ago

A Tale of Two Local Districts: Implementing the CA Classroom Cell Phone Ban

11 hours ago

Hawaii Volcano Produces Tall Lava Fountaining in Latest Episode of Kilauea Eruption

11 hours ago

Judge Says Fresno Can Change Street Names: Cesar Chavez Blvd Lawsuit Tossed

Shortly after renaming eight miles of streets in south Fresno to honor labor organizer Cesar Chavez, a group of business owners and resident...

6 hours ago

6 hours ago

Judge Says Fresno Can Change Street Names: Cesar Chavez Blvd Lawsuit Tossed

The Aga Khan, spiritual head of Ismaili Muslims, listens to a speech during the inauguration of the restored 16th century Humayun's Tomb in New Delhi, India, Sept. 18, 2013. (AP File)
7 hours ago

The Aga Khan, Spiritual Leader of Ismaili Muslims and a Philanthropist, Dies at 88

7 hours ago

Trump Wants US to Take Ownership of Gaza and Redevelop It After Palestinians Are Resettled

A hit-and-run response in Fresno led to a high-speed chase, crash, and standoff, ending in two arrests after police intervention. (CHP)
7 hours ago

Fresno High-Speed Chase Ends in Arrests After Crash, Standoff

8 hours ago

NFL Commish Calls Chiefs Conspiracy Theory ‘Ridiculous’ but Terrell Owens Floats One

The 50501 Movement, a grassroots protest effort organizing demonstrations in all 50 states on February 5 to oppose fascism, emphasizes peaceful action and local participation, with planned protests at key sites, including California’s state Capitol. (GV Wire Composite)
8 hours ago

Where Will Californians Rally During Nationwide Protest Against Trump Administration?

8 hours ago

Estee Lauder to Cut up to 7,000 Jobs as Sales Slide

Three people were arrested on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Visalia after police found a ghost gun, high-capacity magazines, and drugs during a search warrant. (Visalia PD)
9 hours ago

Visalia Police Arrest Three, Seize Ghost Gun and Drugs

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend