Palestinian prisoner Hisham Abu Hawash entered his 140th day on hunger strike on Monday, and according to his family is in such critical condition that he could “die at any moment.”
BY YUMNA PATEL
EMAD ABU HAWASH (RIGHT) STANDS NEXT TO POSTERS SHOWING THE BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS OF HIS BROTHER HISHAM ABU HAWASH, WHO HAS BEEN ON HUNGER STRIKE FOR 140 DAYS, IN PROTEST OF HIS ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION BY ISRAEL. DURA, HEBRON, JANUARY 3RD, 2022. (PHOTO: YUMNA PATEL)
Update: Hisham Abu Hawash ended his hunger strike on Tuesday, January 4th after 141 days on strike, upon reaching a deal with Israel to be released from his administrative detention on February 26th.
Palestinian prisoner Hisham Abu Hawash, 41, entered his 140th day on hunger strike on Monday, January 3rd, and according to his family, is in such critical condition that he could “die at any moment.”
Abu Hawash was arrested by Israeli forces in October 2020 in the middle of the night from his family home in the town of Dura, south of Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank.
Shortly after his arrest, Israel put Abu Hawash under administrative detention, a policy used by Israel that allows for the indefinite detention of Palestinians without charge or trial, under the premise of “secret evidence” against them. Abu Hawash had previously spent two separate stints in Israeli prison under administrative detention.
On August 15 2021, after nearly 10 months in administrative detention, the Israeli Supreme Court was set to hear an appeal on Abu Hawash’s detention. The hearing was dismissed, however, when Israel’s military prosecution refused to bring the appeal before the court and said that due to “secret evidence” provided by Israeli intelligence officials, Abu Hawash would be unable to appeal his imprisonment until he had served two years under administrative detention.
On that day, Abu Hawash announced that he would be launching a hunger strike in protest of his arbitrary detention.
Now, more than four months into his strike, Abu Hawash is in critical condition, and is teetering on the brink of death, his family says.
TheIMEUAfter 140 days on hunger strike protesting his imprisonment without charge or trial, Palestinian prisoner Hisham Abu Hawash is now in a coma. His situation is extremely dire. Palestinians and allies are demanding his release. #SaveHisham#FreeHishamAbuHawwash
“He could die at any moment,” Abu Hawash’s brother Emad told Mondoweiss from the living room of the family’s home in Dura.
“He has lost his ability to move, and can barely speak. His vision is blurry, his muscles have begun to atrophy, and his potassium and liver enzymes are at critically low levels,” Emad said.
“Hisham was already living with kidney problems, which run in our family, and now the doctors are worried that his kidneys and other organs will fail at any moment,” he continued.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health organized a delegation to visit Abu Hawash over the weekend at the the Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh) south of Tel Aviv, where he is being held. According to a statement from the ministry, “Abu Hawash suffers from blurry vision, inability to speak, severe muscle atrophy, and inability to move, while his ability to perceive what is going on around him decreased.”
According to Emad, Hisham, who is a father of five children under the age of 13, has been refusing all forms of vitamins and sustenance, except for a mixture of water to keep him alive. At around 3am this morning, Hisham’s family says he entered into a coma.
“Hisham has lost half his weight. He used to weigh 85kg (187lbs) and now weighs less than 40kg (88lbs),” said Emad, pointing out that the pictures he sees of his brother lying in the hospital bed are “unrecognizable” to him.
Mounting pressure
Pressure mounted over the weekend, as international organizations and U.S. lawmakers joined Palestinian citizens and leaders in calling on Israel to release Abu Hawash immediately.
Demonstrations were held in the cities across the West Bank, with people in Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron, and Nablus calling for Abu Hawash’s release. Similar protests were reported in Gaza, as well as in Palestinian towns and cities in Israel.
Palestine Culture@PalestineCultu1A mass rally in Ramallah in solidarity with the hunger striker Hisham Abu Hawash. #الحرية_لهشام_أبو_هواش
According to reports, Israeli police beat up demonstrators at a vigil for Abu Hawash in Umm al-Fahm, in northern Israel on Sunday.
Wafa News Agency – English@WAFANewsEnglishThe Palestinian man Hasan Mohammed was brutally beaten and assaulted by the #Israeli occupation forces after detaining him during a peaceful vigil in solidarity with the Palestinian prisoner Hisham abu Hawash in Umm al- Fahm city.
On Monday night, demonstrators carrying Palestinian flags stood outside the office of the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal intelligence agency, demanding Abu Hawash’s release.
Ben Reiff@bentreyfProtest now outside the Shin Bet office (Israeli security service) in north Tel Aviv, in light of the deteriorating health of Palestinian hunger striker Hisham Abu Hawash, held in administrative detention — without charge or trial — since October 2020.
According to Abu Hawwash’s family and reports from Palestinian media, Israeli police forces raided his hospital room, and forcibly removed his wife Aisha, his lawyers, and journalists from the hospital.
IMEU@theIMEU·Jan 3, 2022Replying to @theIMEUHisham has been imprisoned by Israeli forces since October 7, 2020, and has been denied family visits and visits from his lawyer. Now, Hisham’s health is in critical condition and he is facing sudden death.IMEU@theIMEUEarlier today, Israeli occupation forces broke into Hisham Abu Hawash’s hospital room in Assaf Harofeh Hospital and forced activists and journalists to leave.
The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) released a statement expressing concern over Abu Hawash’s condition, and the potential “irreversible” effects of his hunger strike, and “possible loss of life.”
Palestinian leaders, including Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh, said that they were holding Israel “fully responsible” for Abu Hawash’a life. The Islamic Jihad movement in Gaza threatened retaliation if Israel did not immediately release Abu Hawash.
Calls to released Abu Hawash were echoed across social media, as people used the hashtag #FreeHishamAbuHawwash. The Arabic version of the hashtag, along with the tag #FreeThemAll was trending on Twitter in Palestine on Monday.
U.S. congresswoman Rashida Tlaib joined the calls to release Abu Hawash, and shared a viral video on Twitter of Abu Hawash’s crying children visiting their father in the hospital for the first time.
Rashida Tlaib@RashidaTlaibHisham Abu Hawash – married father of 5, held without a scrap of evidence, trial, or even a court hearing (in violation of int’l law) since October 2020. On hunger strike for 140+ days. The gov’t of Israel alone is responsible for this situation and his health and safety.
Huwaida Arraf@huwaidaarrafThe pain of these boys having to see their father like this Imprisoned by Israel since Oct 2020 WITHOUT charge, Hisham Abu Hawash is on day 139 of a hunger strike. He’s dying! Immediate international intervention is needed! Petition: https://chng.it/vF8Wcgy2tN #SaveHisham https://twitter.com/V_Palestine20/status/1475807704585314314
“Hisham Abu Hawash – married father of 5, held without a scrap of evidence, trial, or even a court hearing (in violation of int’l law) since October 2020. On hunger strike for 140+ days. The gov’t of Israel alone is responsible for this situation and his health and safety,” Tlaib wrote.
‘We are with Hisham to the end’
Despite the increased calls for Abu Hawash’s release on social media and in the Palestinian streets, Emad Abu Hawash told Mondoweiss that the international community has not done its duty when it comes to advocating for his brother.
According to Emad, who works with the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), he sent dozens of urgent letters to organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International to bring attention to his brother’s case, but to no avail.
“I have been sending letters day after day to different international organizations, but have received little to no response,” Emad said.
In his letters, which he provided to Mondoweiss, Emad wrote, among many things, of the fact that the torture of prisoners and administrative detention may amount to war crimes under the Rome Statute, and constitute violations of the Fourth Geneva convention.
“I respectfully request your intervention to force the Israeli occupation to implement the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, and to release Hisham Abu Hawash for lack of charges and for absence of the required guarantees for a free trial,” Emad wrote in the letters addressed to both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty.
“The international community cannot make excuses, and that they are unaware of what’s happening,” said Emad, who himself has also been held under administrative detention in Israeli prison.
“Palestinian human rights groups have been alerting the world to the crime of administrative detention for years. The world is aware, but they have chosen not to act.”
According to Palestinian prisoners rights group Addameer, there are currently 500 Palestinian prisoners being held under administrative detention by Israel.
Last month, Israel released Palestinian prisoner Kayed Fasfous after 131 days on hunger strike in protest of his administrative detention. In November 2021, Palestinian prisoner Miqdad Qawasmeh ended his 113-day hunger strike after Israel agreed to end his administrative detention in February 2022.
“No matter what happens, we stand with Hisham,” Emad said. “He is fighting for freedom, and we will be with him until the end.”
