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Palestinian cry in support of the hunger striking prisoner

A broad solidarity campaign launched by Palestinian activists through social media platforms to support the prisoner Maher Al-Akhras, who has been on strike for 76 consecutive days protesting his administrative detention.

After hours of the campaign’s launch, the #Save_Maher_Akhras hashtag trended on Twitter while the name of the prisoner Maher Al-Akhras was recorded with more than 16,000 tweets, with the participation of hundreds of activists and influencers and an access rate of more than 500,000.

Activists also interacted with other hashtags, such as will not abandon you and freedom for Maher al-Akhras, in which they unanimously agreed on the need for serious action to secure his release.

On 27/07/ 2020, Akhras was arrested and the Israeli occupation authorities ordered his administrative detention for four months. 

Sahar Al-Nahal indicated that Akhras is on a hunger strike for the 76th consecutive day, warning that there is a danger to his life and his situation is very bad.

Fadwa Omar called for the rescue of the captive Maher Al-Akhras, noting that he is on hunger strike in protest at his administrative detention in the Israeli prisons without charge and trial.

Akhras insists on continuing his hunger strike, rejecting what he described as an Israeli attempt to circumvent his fight for freedom.

In a video clip of him from the Israeli Kaplan hospital in which he is being held and was reported by the Palestinian prisoners' institutions, Akhras said, “There is an attempt to circumvent my strike by the Israeli Prisons administration by resorting to what it calls a freeze on administrative detention.”

Hussam considers that the Palestinian prisoner Akhras is fighting the Israeli jail with his empty stomach and exhausted body in pursuing his freedom.

Many writers and human rights activists from Palestine and abroad interacted with this campaign.

The writer Yasser Al-Zaatarah, from Jordan, warned of the continuous deterioration in Akhras’s health condition, indicating that he is continuing the battle of hunger strike against his arbitrary administrative detention for the third consecutive month.

He emphasized that administrative detention is the weapon of the invaders to deprive the people of the models of resistance.

The writer Iyad al-Qara described Akhras as a Palestinian model that represents the story of every resistance and honest person who rejects the Israeli occupation and fights fiercely for freedom, and for 76 days he has been on hunger strike to refuse his administrative detention.

Akhras was subjected to repeated arrests that began in 1989, and his detention continued for seven months. The second time was in 2004 for two years then he was re-arrested in 2009 and remained in administrative detention for 16 months. He was arrested again in 2018 and was held in custody for 11 months, until his last arrest.

Akhras’s wife, Umm Islam, confirmed that her husband’s health is extremely in danger and is deteriorating.

She said, “We live in an atmosphere of anxiety and tension, and we are afraid to hear the phone ringing because we fear that the caller has bad news related to Maher's life.”

She indicated that he feels severe pains in the chest, eyes, head and stomach, and he is physically unable to support himself.

She pointed to the fact that there was a clear failure by the Red Cross to support her captive husband, stressing that its silence on this issue encourages the occupation to refuse Akhras’s demand for freedom.

Umm Islam thanked everyone who stood with her husband in the West Bank and Gaza, deploring the failure of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian ambassadors to champion his cause and put pressure on Israel.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society has warned of the difficult health conditions that Akhras faces.

The Society stated in a statement that the Israeli occupation continues to hold Akhras until today in Kaplan hospital and refuses to respond to his demand which is to end his administrative detention.

Akhras faces extremely dangerous health conditions after entering the third month of his strike as he is unable to move and refuses to take supplements.

 

Source: The Palestinian Information Center

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