Gaza City : Palestinian prisoners taking part in a hunger strike in Israeli jails in protest against their indefinite detention without charge have said they intend to donate their organs if they die, highlighting the rapid deterioration of their condition.
The hunger strikers, who are now on their 49th day without food, said in a letter that “despite the pains of hunger which have impaired some of our organs, we still have some usable organs despite looming death.” Since April 24 around 125 prisoners have been on hunger strike, while hundreds more have joined in the weeks since. All of the original hunger-strikers have been since taken to hospitals. “Looking forward to continue with our sacrifice even after death, we will donate our usable organs to be given to those Palestinians striving (for the cause), and the poor and oppressed people who may need them,” adding that they planned to sign a statement of consent when Red Cross Committee members came to visit.
The hunger-strikers also called for increased popular and official support for their cause, urging the Palestinian people to remain “loyal to our blood and to that of the other martyrs who fell before us.” “These are not just words that we say casually, but rather real revolutionary practices which know no hesitation nor weakness.” “The soldiers who have been fighting our fascist enemy with their bodies deserve a show of support to prevent expected bloodshed which won’t stop before we realize our just demands,” urging the public to rally behind them. Around 125 prisoners launched a hunger strike on April 24 in protest against Israel’s continued use of detention without trial despite a 2012 promise to limit the use of administrative detention to exceptional cases.
That promise came as a result of a hunger strike involving more than 2,000 Palestinians that brought many to the brink of death. Palestinians held in administrative detention are often held without charge or trial for months and without access to the evidence leading to their detention, even though international law stipulates this tactic only be used in exceptional circumstances. Over 800,000 Palestinians have been detained since 1967, with 5,224 currently being held in Israeli prisons, according to the PLO.