Five Palestinians continue hunger strike in Israeli jails, including Zakariyah Zubeidi

Five Palestinian prisoners continue to refuse food in Israeli jails, protesting their detention conditions, including two of the Gilboa prison breakers, according to the Palestinian High Commission for Prisoners Affairs.

"Yaacoub Qaderi and Abdallah Barghouthi are each protesting their solitary confinement," Shouman told The New Arab. "Meanwhile, Zakariyah Zubeidi is on hunger strike in support of Khalil Awawdeh and Raed Rayan, who are themselves on hunger strike protesting their detentions without charges."

Abdallah Barghouthi and Yaacoub Qaderi, both 50 years old, have separately been on hunger strike, each for 13 days, protesting their solitary confinement.

"We live inside graves"

Yacoub Qadri, one of Gilboa jailbreaker, describes how difficult the conditions of detention are.#FreePalestine #FreeThemAll pic.twitter.com/07wajIs0el

— V PALESTINE 🇵🇸 (@V_Palestine20) November 9, 2021

Barghouthi was sentenced to 67 life sentences in 2003 after Israel accused him of leading Hamas's armed wing in the West Bank and planning several bomb attacks in Israel. Qaderi, for his part, is one of six Palestinians who escaped the high-security Israeli Gilboa prison in September before being recaptured.

Zubeidi, another Gilboa prison breaker and former leader of Al-Aqsa brigades in the Jenin refugee camp, has been refusing food for 10 days, in solidarity with Khalil Awadeh and Raed Rayan, two Palestinian detainees protesting their detention without charges.

Awadeh, a 40-year-old father of four, had been arrested five times in the past, three of which were without charges. He was arrested again last September and placed under "administrative detention". He hasn't eaten for 104 days protesting his detention, the longest hunger striker currently. 

"Khalil had been at the Ramleh prison clinic until last Thursday when he was transferred to the Israeli Asaf Harofeh Civil Hospital," his wife, Dalal, told The New Arab on Tuesday. "This means that his health must have deteriorated, but we still know nothing."

"We are expecting news from his lawyer who will visit him on Tuesday," she added.

A vigil was held in Gaza to highlight the suffering of Palestinian hunger-strikers in Israeli jails

Currently, Khalil al-Awawdeh & Raed Rayyan, are on hunger strike protesting their administrative detention in Israeli jails without charge or trial#FreeThemAll #FreePalestine 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/ozePdmMkY1

— Friends of Palestine 🇵🇸 (@PalFriends2020) June 8, 2022

Raed Rayan, 27 years old, was arrested in November and given a six-months administrative detention order. His detention was renewed for another six months in April, after which Rayan went on hunger strike. He has been 69 days without food and is currently at the Ramleh Prison Clinic.

"We expect more prisoners to take steps in support of Awawdeh and Rayan," Ayah Shreiteh, spokesperson for the Palestinian Prisoners' Club told The New Arab, "especially since the Israeli authorities have not yet responded to their protest in any way." 

A vigil was held in Gaza to highlight the suffering of Palestinian hunger-strikers in Israeli jails

Currently, Khalil al-Awawdeh & Raed Rayyan, are on hunger strike protesting their administrative detention in Israeli jails without charge or trial#FreeThemAll #FreePalestine 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/ozePdmMkY1

— Friends of Palestine 🇵🇸 (@PalFriends2020) June 8, 2022

Palestinian administrative detainees are held without charges for renewable periods of up to six months, based on a "secret dossier" provided to the Israeli military court by Israeli intelligence. 

According to human rights groups, some 4,700 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, including 640 Palestinians detained under the administrative detention system, without charges.

In January, all Palestinian administrative detainees began a mass boycott of Israeli court hearings, demanding the end of the administrative detention policy.