JERUSALEM, The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has renewed its call to end the crisis of the hunger-striking Palestinian detainees inside Israeli jails, as their health conditions have seriously deteriorated.

Head of the ICRC Mission in Jerusalem Els Debuf posted on Twitter: “We reiterate our urgent call about Mr. Miqdad Al-Qawasmeh and Mr. Kayed Nammoura (Fasfous).” Both Al-Qawasmeh and Nammoura have been on hunger strike inside Israeli jails for nearly 100 days.

“The ICRC urges authorities, the detainees and their representatives to find a solution that will avoid loss of life,” Debuf added.

Debuf continued: “We continue to visit and closely follow their situation, as we do for the six detainees currently on hunger strike, including Mr Al Araj.”

The head of the ICRC mission stressed that “every detainee must be treated humanely and with dignity.”

Israel’s widely condemned policy of administrative detention allows the detention of Palestinians without charge or trial for renewable intervals usually ranging between three and six months based on undisclosed evidence that even a detainee’s lawyer is barred from viewing.

Currently, Israel is holding over 450 Palestinians in administrative detention, deemed illegal by international law, most of them former prisoners who spent years in prison for their resistance of the Israeli occupation.

Over the years, Israel has placed thousands of Palestinians in administrative detention for prolonged periods of time, without trying them, without informing them of the charges against them, and without allowing them or their counsel to examine the evidence.

Palestinian detainees have continuously been left with no option other than a hunger strike as a way to protest their illegal administrative detention and to demand an end to this policy.

Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency