Advocacy group warns of deteriorating health condition of Palestinian prisoner

A group advocating Palestinian prisoners’ rights has voiced serious concern about the health condition of a Palestinian prisoner who has been on hunger strike for over three months since he was arrested by Israeli military forces.

Qadri Abu Bakr, the head of the Prisoners and Ex-prisoners Affairs Authority, said on Sunday that Maher al-Akhras is gradually losing his vision and hearing abilities and became unable to speak in addition to other dangers threatening his vital organs.

He added that nearly 100 days after the Palestinian prisoner's hunger strike, Israeli authorities are still refusing to release him and insist that Akhras must complete his current administrative detention.

The official, however, emphasized that Akhras has vowed not to end his hunger strike unless his immediate release or transfer to a Palestinian hospital in the West Bank.

Bakr said the Palestinian inmate knows that Israeli authorities can extend his detention again.

“Palestinian efforts have not stopped in supporting Akhras in this heroic battle by following his condition at the highest levels," he added.

The 49-year-old Palestinian prisoner, the father of six children, was illegally detained on July 27 and held under the so-called administrative detention order, with no charge. This has led him to start a hunger strike in an attempt to seek justice.

Physicians have already warned of damage to several organs of the Palestinian prisoner’s body, such as the kidneys, liver, and heart, adding that the inmate’s senses of hearing and speaking have also been affected.

The United Nations and the European Union have called for Akhras's immediate release.

SS