EU urges Israel to end administrative detention with hunger striker Hisham Abu Hawash 'on brink of death'

The European Union deplored Israel for its use of administrative detention against Palestinians, saying it was seriously concerned about hunger striker Hisham Abu Hawash, 40, who his family say is on the verge of death.

Hawash has been on hunger strike for 141 days to protest his administrative detention in an Israeli prison since October 2020.

"Seriously concerned about the critical health condition of Palestinian Hisham Abu Hawash, who has been on an extended hunger strike for 140 days to protest his administrative detention in Israeli prison since October 2020," the European Union Delegation to the Palestinians said in a tweet.

The EU urged that Israel's use of administrative detention against Palestinian prisoners "without formal charge remains a longstanding concern".

"Detainees have the right to be informed about charges underlying any detention, must be given a fair trial within a reasonable time or be released," the statement added.

The bloc urged that a solution to Abu Hawash's situation "should be found immediately."

Hunger-striking prisoner Abu Hawash has lost half of his weight and is reportedly on the brink of death. The Israeli occupation authorities continues to detain him without charge or trial, alongside hundreds of other Palestinian prisoners. #FreeThemAll #معركه_الامعاء_الخاوية

— Mohammed El-Kurd (@m7mdkurd) January 3, 2022

Abu Hawash’s family told The New Arab that Abu Hawash is on "the brink of death".

"We have been requesting his transfer for months, but the Israelis have been rejecting our request," his brother Imad Abu Hawash said.

"I even wrote to the Israeli minister of health, who replied saying that prisons are not his field of authority. Now that Hisham is literally on the brink of death they finally transferred him."

Around 500 out of the 4,550 Palestinian political prisoners are being held in Israeli administrative detention without charge or trial, according to the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network.

Under the administrative detention order, Israel imprisons Palestinians for six months at a time, which can be extended indefinitely.

Israel says the procedure allows authorities to hold alleged suspects in a measure to "prevent attacks" while continuing to gather evidence.

Rights groups say such a system is abusive to Palestinian children, who are mostly arrested on suspicion of throwing stones.