The mother of a Palestinian on a hunger strike for months to protest his detention in Israel without charges stated he is nearing collapse, following calls from protesters for his release and that of others on hunger strike. The family of Majed Qawasmeh reported that his weight has dropped to nearly half since July 21, when he began refusing food, surviving only on saltwater. Qawasmeh initiated his hunger strike alongside five other detainees from the occupied West Bank in protest of administrative detention, which allows Israel to hold Palestinians they suspect for up to 60 days without charges, with the possibility of extending detention by court order. This system has been criticized by the United Nations and the European Union.
Qawasmeh's condition (24 years old) is the most severe among the six. His mother, Imane Qawasmeh, told Reuters last week from the intensive care unit at Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot near Tel Aviv, "His health is deteriorating due to the ongoing hunger strike. He is in grave danger." She questioned, "Why isn’t anyone intervening to save a human life?"
Qawasmeh spent several weeks in the hospital before being returned to a clinic in Ramla prison. Israel arrested Qawasmeh in January. An Israeli security official stated that his administrative detention is based on strong grounds "based on intelligence presented to the court" regarding his involvement in activities tied to the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas. The official added that this situation was suspended due to his hospitalization.
Palestinians organized protests in the West Bank in support of Qawasmeh and the other five hunger strikers. Protester Omar Asaf said during a rally in Ramallah on Tuesday that demonstrators are demanding the Palestinian Authority mobilize resources for international solidarity with the detainees. Palestinian officials claim that the number of those held under administrative detention in Israeli prisons is approximately 500, although Israel has never published figures on administratively detained individuals.
