Families of Palestinian hunger striking prisoners appeal to the world to save the prisoners’ lives

Five Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli occupation jails continue with their open-ended hunger strike with unique steadfastness and patience to stress their rejection of the Israeli occupation’s continuous violations towards 5000 prisoners and its crimes against the Palestinian people.  

These five prisoners are Kayed Al-Fasfous who has been on a  hunger strike for 125 days, Alaa Al-Araj, 101 days, Hisham Abu Hawash 92 days, Eyad Al-Hreimi 55 days, Louai Al-Ashqar 37 days.

The families of these prisoners have repeatedly called on the world to do its utmost to release the prisoners and save their lives.

Juan Al-Fasfous, the daughter of Kayed Al-Fasfous, appeals every day to the international community to save the life of her father. She wants to draw the world’s attention to the suffering of the prisoners, hoping that the international community will move to stop the occupation’s criminal acts against the Palestinians and to pressure the Israeli authorities to release the sick and the hunger striking prisoners.

“I want my father alive so I can live my childhood in his arms. I want him out of the prison,” Juan cried. However, her calls were ignored by the international community, although her father is nearing death, as signs of a blood clot have appeared and he suffers from temporary loss of consciousness, irregular heartbeats, low blood pressure and lack of fluids in his body.

 Khaled Al-Fasfous, the brother of Kayed Al-Fasfous, told SANA that “my brother is in a very dangerous health condition. He is nearing death after the appearance of a blood clot and the general weakness in the function of all his body’s organs, besides a sign of a clot in the brain.” 

He called on the international community, especially the Security Council, to assume its responsibilities towards stopping the Israeli occupation’s crimes against the prisoners.

Imad Abu Hawash, the brother of Hisham Abu Hawash said that his brother is now using a wheelchair and living in difficult conditions inside a solitary cell. He suffers from severe pain in the head, the chest and the kidneys and he repeatedly falls unconscious,” warning that his brother may suffer from a brain stroke at any time.

Imad said that his brother has four children waiting to hug him, especially his son Ezz El-Din, who  today is undergoing  surgery to remove his kidney in the absence of his father.

 He stressed that the health condition of his brother is very dangerous, pointing out that more than 70 memorandums were sent to human rights organizations, consulates and embassies around the world calling on them to save his brother’s life, but these demands and humanitarian appeals fell on deaf ears.

Jamal Al-Hreimi, father of the prisoner Ayad Al-Hreimi, spoke bitterly about the deteriorating health condition of his son.

“My son’s body is critically week because of his hunger strike, but he insists on continuing with this strike firmly and patiently until he obtains his freedom,” the father said, pointing out that his son is 28-year-old and he was detained five times and he spent 10 years inside the occupation jails during which he was subjected to psychological and physical torture.

He called on all the freedom-loving peoples of the world and human rights organizations to intervene urgently to save the lives of the prisoners in light of the slow death policy pursued by the occupation against them.   

Hamda Mustafa