Israel extends detention of Palestinian prisoner Khalil Awawdeh

An Israeli courtroom prolonged Khalil Awawdeh’s detention days earlier than his launch. He ended a 172-day starvation strike final month.

Palestinian administrative prisoner Khalil Awawdeh was on a starvation strike for 172 days earlier than he ended it in August following guarantees that he could be launched [File: Sinan Abu Mayzer/Reuters]

Ramallah, occupied West Financial institution – An Israeli courtroom has prolonged the detention of Palestinian prisoner Khalil Awawdeh, who ended a 172-day starvation strike in August, days earlier than his anticipated launch.

Awawdeh, 40, was resulting from be launched on October 2, however Israel’s Justice of the Peace courtroom in Rishon LeZion, close to Tel Aviv, dominated on Wednesday that he could be held till at the very least October 9, his spouse advised Al Jazeera.

In accordance with prisoners’ rights teams and his household, Awawdeh’s imprisonment was prolonged underneath the declare that he tried to take the cell phone he had at Assaf Harofeh hospital with him to the Ramla jail clinic the place he was transferred.

“We don’t know what's going to occur with this new case, whether or not it could be closed on bail, or whether or not he will likely be launched, or placed on trial for this new case,” Dalal, Awawdeh’s spouse, stated.

“We really feel frustration and ache. That is an occupation and it’s not new to us that they're making an attempt to wreck the enjoyment and Khalil’s triumph, in that he seized his freedom from them,” she continued.

The father of 4 was arrested by Israeli forces from his house within the village of Ithna, south of town of Hebron within the occupied West Financial institution, in December 2021.

He was positioned in so-called “administrative detention” – an Israeli coverage that permits the indefinite imprisonment of Palestinians with out trial or cost, primarily based on “secret data” that's not accessible to the detainee nor his lawyer.

Whereas Israel has claimed the process permits authorities to carry “suspects” whereas persevering with to assemble proof, critics and rights teams have stated the system is extensively abused and denies the “suspects” due course of.

Dalal stated she has but to listen to from her husband and is praying that he's launched quickly.

“We hope that it ends on bail, that he doesn’t get a brand new case in opposition to him, and that he's actually launched after this lengthy battle.”

Awawdeh ended a 172-day starvation strike on August 24 after jail authorities agreed to not renew his detention order, which was resulting from finish on October 2.

After his arrest in December, Awawdeh went on a starvation strike for 111 days. He then broke his quick primarily based on guarantees by Israeli jail authorities to finish his administrative detention. He resumed his starvation strike every week later when authorities reneged on their promise to launch him.

By August, his well being had critically deteriorated, amid severe fears that he would die.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) armed resistance group had demanded that Awawdeh be launched as a part of the circumstances of an August 7 ceasefire settlement that ended Israel’s three-day bombardment of Gaza, wherein 51 Palestinians have been killed, together with 17 kids.

Israel initially arrested Awawdeh on suspicion of being a PIJ “operative”, an allegation his lawyer has denied.

Awawdeh has spent a complete of 12 years in Israeli prisons for the reason that early 2000s, together with 5 years in administrative detention, cut up into two durations.

He's the newest of a variety of Palestinian prisoners in administrative detention to have launched into particular person starvation strikes to safe their freedom since late final yr.

Starvation strikes have been utilized by prisoners world wide as a way of non-violent resistance. For Palestinian prisoners, it could possibly draw worldwide consideration to their plight, which they hope will put stress on their jailers and spur a coverage change.

Of the roughly 4,650 Palestinian prisoners at present held by Israel, about 740 are at present being held in administrative detention, a quantity that has elevated since March as Israel stepped up its raids within the occupied West Financial institution.

On September 25, 30 Palestinians held in administrative detention launched an open-ended starvation strike in Israeli prisons to demand their launch.