Red Cross Dreads Palestinian Hunger Striker in W Bank

Local Editor

The International Committee of the Red Cross says it fears for the life of a prominent Palestinian prisoner who has been on a hunger strike for 48 days.

It's the second marathon hunger strike for Khader Adnan, an activist in the Islamic Jihad group in the West Bank who has been held without charge for almost a year.

Furthermore, in a previous stint in administrative detention in 2012, Adnan went on a 66-day fast to press for his freedom, sparking weeklong hunger strikes by hundreds of Palestinian detainees.

The detainees eventually halted their hunger strikes amid promises by "Israel" that it would curb administration detentions.

The Red Cross said Monday that Adnan's life is "at immediate risk" and that his family must be allowed to visit, in line with international conventions, as guaranteed by the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Sivan Weizman of the "Israel" Prison Authority says Adnan is in Zionist hospital. However, she declined comment on his condition.

Again on Tuesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross asserted that a prominent Palestinian detainee who has been on a hunger strike for 48 days faces an "immediate risk" of death, urging the Zionist entity to allow his family to visit in line with international conventions.

The appeal in the case of Khader Adnan comes as the Zionist entity is pushing legislation that would allow force-feeding of detainees.

At the end of April, 396 Palestinians were held in administrative detention, according to the so-called ""Israeli" rights group" "B'Tselem", which publishes official figures from the prison authority.

After a sharp drop in 2012, the number of administrative detainees has been rising again over the past year to monthly levels ranging from 363 to 473 people held without charges.

Last year, Adnan was given six months of administrative detention, followed by a four-month extension. Henceforth, when he received another four-month extension, he launched his hunger strike.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team