Three Palestinian prisoners are persisting in their indefinite hunger strikes within Israeli correctional facilities as a form of protest against their imprisonment.
Among the hunger strikers is Kaid Al-Fasfos, a 34-year-old from Dura in Hebron. Al-Fasfos has been on a hunger strike for 38 days and has been incarcerated since May 2nd. A former detainee, he has previously spent approximately seven years in Israeli prisons. Al-Fasfos also participated in a 9-day hunger strike earlier this year and a 131-day strike in 2021. He is currently held in cells at the Negev prison.
Sultan Khalouf, 42, from the town of Burqin near Jenin, has also been on a hunger strike for 38 days since his most recent arrest. Khalouf, who has spent multiple years in Israeli prisons, is under a four-month administrative detention order. His health is rapidly deteriorating; he is experiencing symptoms such as vomiting blood, vision problems, severe headaches, and dizziness. Khalouf is currently confined to Jalameh prison cells and is being subjected to psychological pressure, including being forced to watch others eat.
Maher Al-Akhras, a 52-year-old from Silat ad-Dhahr in Jenin, has been on a hunger strike for 11 days. A former detainee who has spent five years in Israeli prisons, Al-Akhras is also a father of six. He previously went on a 103-day hunger strike in 2020 to protest his administrative detention. He is currently held in cells at the Jalameh prison.
Administrative detention in Israel involves imprisonment without formal charges or trial, often relying on confidential files that are inaccessible to the detainee or their legal representation. This practice can be extended indefinitely, in clear violation of international humanitarian law.
According to recent data, around 5,200 Palestinian prisoners are currently held in Israeli jails, including 1,300 under administrative detention. These detainees are spread across 24 different prisons and camps operated by the Israeli military. The detainee population also includes 35 women and girls, and 559 individuals serving life sentences.
