Palestinian prisoner Khalil Awawda continues fast despite death risk

A 40-year-old Palestinian prisoner Khalil Awawda continued his hunger strike for 145 days on Thursday, in protest of his continued administrative detention, amid the possibility of his sudden death at any moment.

The Prisoner’s Club warned that the prisoner, Awawda, is facing the risk of death in the Ramle prison clinic, in light of the absence of serious solutions so far regarding his case.

He suffers from severe aches in the joints, headaches, strong dizziness and blurred vision, and is unable to walk, and moves in a wheelchair.

It is noteworthy that the prisoner, Awawda, resumed his strike on July 7, 2022, after suspending it earlier after 111 days of the strike, based on promises to release him, but the occupation reneged on its promise, and issued a new administrative detention order against him for a period of four months.

On March 3, 2022, Awawda announced his hunger strike to reject the administrative detention he faces along with 640 other administrative detainees in the occupation prisons, under the pretext of the existence of a secret file.

During his strike, he faced systematic abuse at several levels by the occupation forces. He was targeted physically and psychologically.

He was last arrested on December 27, 2021, on charges of incitement, and an administrative detention order was issued against him for a period of six months. Awawda has been arrested four times since 2002, and this is his fifth arrest.

Khalil is known to be an educated young man, a memorizer of the Noble Qur’an, and a social activist in his town. He conducted several campaigns with a group of volunteers to serve people.

He is a married man and father to four daughters: Tulane, Lauren, Maria and Maryam, the oldest of whom is 9 years old.

Currently, Israel is holding over 680 Palestinians in administrative detention, deemed illegal by international law, most of them former prisoners who spent years in prison for their resistance of the Israeli occupation, Wafa News Agency reported.

Amnesty International, has described Israel’s administrative detention policy as a “cruel, unjust practice which helps maintain Israel’s system of apartheid against Palestinians.”

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