Palestinian in Israeli prison suspends hunger strike after 113 days

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Raed Rayan, a Palestinian prisoner in Israeli prison, suspended his hunger strike on Thursday after 113 days.

Hassan Abd Rabbo, a spokesman for the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority, said Rayan suspended his hunger strike after mediation by the prisoner movement’s leaders as well as legal efforts of the Prisoners’ Affairs Authority.

He said that several prisoners’ representatives “engaged in negotiations with the Israeli Prison Authority, which ended with Rayan suspending his strike.”

‘Administratively detained’ since last November, Rayan had been on hunger strike for the last 113 days, demanding an end to his administrative detention and a time limit for his release.

Meanwhile, Khalil Awawdeh, another detainee, continued his hunger strike which started 26 days ago, days after suspending a previous strike that lasted 111 days.

According to a statement by the Al-Assir Club on Thursday, “the occupation forces reneged on their promise and issued a new administrative detention order against Awawdeh for four months.”

According to the Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, “In administrative detention, a person is held without trial without having committed an offense, on the grounds that he or she plans to break the law in the future. As this measure is supposed to be preventive, it has no time limit. The person is detained without legal proceedings, by order of the regional military commander, based on classified evidence that is not revealed to them. This leaves the detainees helpless – facing unknown allegations with no way to disprove them, not knowing when they will be released, and without being charged, tried or convicted.”

In September 2020, 376 Palestinians – including two minors – were held in administrative detention in Israel.