17 jan 2016
Head of the legal unit of Palestinian Prisoners Society, Jawad Boulos, said that the Palestinian captive Mohammed al-Qiq got fainted and transferred, at dawn last Friday, to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where he underwent reanimation operations until he came round.
Boulos quoted prisoner al-Qiq, who has been on hunger strike for 54 days in protest against administrative detention, as saying that prison doctors along with crews of prison administration tried violently to convince him to have food by yelling at him, but he refused that and asked them not to interfere in his condition even if he passed out.
The lawyer Boulos warned of the seriousness of the health condition of captive al-Qiq who is suffering severe pain in his waist and limbs as well as his eyes. He is still cuffed to hospital bed regardless of his critical situation.
Detainee al-Qiq will appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court after the military court of Ofer refused the latest appeal that was submitted on his behalf last Thursday, Boulos pointed out.
Boulos quoted prisoner al-Qiq, who has been on hunger strike for 54 days in protest against administrative detention, as saying that prison doctors along with crews of prison administration tried violently to convince him to have food by yelling at him, but he refused that and asked them not to interfere in his condition even if he passed out.
The lawyer Boulos warned of the seriousness of the health condition of captive al-Qiq who is suffering severe pain in his waist and limbs as well as his eyes. He is still cuffed to hospital bed regardless of his critical situation.
Detainee al-Qiq will appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court after the military court of Ofer refused the latest appeal that was submitted on his behalf last Thursday, Boulos pointed out.
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) rounded up eight Palestinians including a woman in arrest campaigns in the West Bank Saturday night and Sunday morning.
The PIC reporter in al-Khalil revealed that Israeli forces stormed several Palestinian houses in Saeer town in northern al-Khalil at dawn Sunday. Israeli soldiers arrested a young man and summoned a school teacher. Meanwhile, another man was arrested in southern al-Khalil.
In Bethlehem, Israeli troops rounded up a 37-year-old woman called Hanadi Mousa al-Meghrebi. She is the wife of captive Ahmad al-Meghrebi who is serving an 18-life-imprisonment sentence in Israeli jails. Three other citizens were arrested as well in Nablus city.
Several Kidnapped across Occupied West Bank
Israeli forces kidnapped at least eight Palestinians across the occupied West Bank overnight Saturday.
In Bethlehem's Duheisha refugee camp, Israeli forces was reported to have abducted the wife of Palestinian detainee Ahmad al-Mughrabi. Israeli forces reportedly detained the woman after ransacking her house during raids in the camp.
An Israeli army spokesperson said, according to Ma'an, that a "Hamas operative" had been detained in Duheisha, but did not identify the detainee in question.
Israeli forces also summoned a number of residents -- including recently released prisoners Adnan al-Afandi, Nidal Abu Aker, and Ghassan Zawahra -- to meet with Israeli intelligence for questioning.
Locals said clashes broke out as Israeli forces initially entered the camp to begin the raids, with Israeli forces shooting tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at residents in the camp, who responded by hurling stones and empty bottles at Israeli forces.
Israeli forces ransacked several houses during the overnight operation.
In the southern occupied West Bank district of Hebron, Israeli forces detained at least seven Palestinians during overnight raids.
Local sources also said that Israeli forces raided several houses in the Talat Abu Hadid neighborhood of southern Hebron City and detained four people in the area after shots were fired near the Ibrahimi Mosque.
An Israeli army spokesperson said, on Saturday, that shots had been heard in the area, but that no injuries were reported.
The detainees were identified as Younis Abd al-Rahman al-Kurdi, Joudi Abd al-Rahim Sarbal, Muhammad Said Abu Rmouz and Wisam Ramadan Abu Rmouz.
In Sair village, northeast of Hebron city, locals said Israeli forces took with them two Palestinians, during raids in the village.
One of the detainees was identified as Muhammad Asad al-Froukh,17, who was shot and injured in the back by Israeli forces two months previously.
The other detainee was identified as Bilal Idrees Jaradat.
An Israeli army spokesperson could only confirm one detention in Hebron city, and one more in Sair village, but added that another Palestinian was detained in Beit Awwa village, west of Hebron.
Israeli forces regularly carry out detention raids across the occupied Palestinian territory, with the UN documenting at least 347 such raids in the last two weeks of December 2015 alone.
Israeli civilian security guards from the illegal Israeli settlement of Efrat, in the southern occupied West Bank district of Bethlehem, also kidnapped a Palestinian shepherd on Sunday morning, according to local reports.
The shepherd was identified as Salim Ahmad Ziyada, 20, from the southern Bethlehem village of Wadi Rahhal.
He was leading a herd of sheep near the settlement's fence on a hilly area on the outskirts of the Palestinian village of Artas with his cousin when he was taken.
Ziyada’s cousin, identified as Dirar, 18, said that two Efrat security guards arrived in a vehicle, handcuffed Ziyada and took him to an unknown location.
There are more than 500,000 Israelis living in settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The settlements are illegal under international law.
The PIC reporter in al-Khalil revealed that Israeli forces stormed several Palestinian houses in Saeer town in northern al-Khalil at dawn Sunday. Israeli soldiers arrested a young man and summoned a school teacher. Meanwhile, another man was arrested in southern al-Khalil.
In Bethlehem, Israeli troops rounded up a 37-year-old woman called Hanadi Mousa al-Meghrebi. She is the wife of captive Ahmad al-Meghrebi who is serving an 18-life-imprisonment sentence in Israeli jails. Three other citizens were arrested as well in Nablus city.
Several Kidnapped across Occupied West Bank
Israeli forces kidnapped at least eight Palestinians across the occupied West Bank overnight Saturday.
In Bethlehem's Duheisha refugee camp, Israeli forces was reported to have abducted the wife of Palestinian detainee Ahmad al-Mughrabi. Israeli forces reportedly detained the woman after ransacking her house during raids in the camp.
An Israeli army spokesperson said, according to Ma'an, that a "Hamas operative" had been detained in Duheisha, but did not identify the detainee in question.
Israeli forces also summoned a number of residents -- including recently released prisoners Adnan al-Afandi, Nidal Abu Aker, and Ghassan Zawahra -- to meet with Israeli intelligence for questioning.
Locals said clashes broke out as Israeli forces initially entered the camp to begin the raids, with Israeli forces shooting tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at residents in the camp, who responded by hurling stones and empty bottles at Israeli forces.
Israeli forces ransacked several houses during the overnight operation.
In the southern occupied West Bank district of Hebron, Israeli forces detained at least seven Palestinians during overnight raids.
Local sources also said that Israeli forces raided several houses in the Talat Abu Hadid neighborhood of southern Hebron City and detained four people in the area after shots were fired near the Ibrahimi Mosque.
An Israeli army spokesperson said, on Saturday, that shots had been heard in the area, but that no injuries were reported.
The detainees were identified as Younis Abd al-Rahman al-Kurdi, Joudi Abd al-Rahim Sarbal, Muhammad Said Abu Rmouz and Wisam Ramadan Abu Rmouz.
In Sair village, northeast of Hebron city, locals said Israeli forces took with them two Palestinians, during raids in the village.
One of the detainees was identified as Muhammad Asad al-Froukh,17, who was shot and injured in the back by Israeli forces two months previously.
The other detainee was identified as Bilal Idrees Jaradat.
An Israeli army spokesperson could only confirm one detention in Hebron city, and one more in Sair village, but added that another Palestinian was detained in Beit Awwa village, west of Hebron.
Israeli forces regularly carry out detention raids across the occupied Palestinian territory, with the UN documenting at least 347 such raids in the last two weeks of December 2015 alone.
Israeli civilian security guards from the illegal Israeli settlement of Efrat, in the southern occupied West Bank district of Bethlehem, also kidnapped a Palestinian shepherd on Sunday morning, according to local reports.
The shepherd was identified as Salim Ahmad Ziyada, 20, from the southern Bethlehem village of Wadi Rahhal.
He was leading a herd of sheep near the settlement's fence on a hilly area on the outskirts of the Palestinian village of Artas with his cousin when he was taken.
Ziyada’s cousin, identified as Dirar, 18, said that two Efrat security guards arrived in a vehicle, handcuffed Ziyada and took him to an unknown location.
There are more than 500,000 Israelis living in settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The settlements are illegal under international law.
Dafna Meir 39
An Israeli woman was stabbed and killed in the southern occupied West Bank district of Hebron on Sunday, an Israeli army spokesperson said.
An Israeli army spokesperson said a "terrorist" broke into the home of a woman in the illegal Israeli settlement of Otniel, south of Hebron city, and stabbed her, before fleeing the scene.
Before the woman succumbed to her wounds, a spokesperson from Magen David Adom, Israel's emergency medical service, said an Israeli woman was being treated in "severe condition."
Israeli forces told residents of Otniel to remain in their homes, as large numbers of soldiers and police officers begin to search for the suspect, Hebrew media reported.
The victim of the attack has yet to be identified.
Hours before the incident, Israeli border guard officers, stationed at a checkpoint at the western entrance to the illegal Kiryat Arbaa settlement in Hebron, detained a teenage Palestinian woman after they reportedly found a knife in her bag.
Local sources in Hebron identified the girl as 18-year-old Nivin Muhsin al-Jaabari.
Earlier on Sunday, a Palestinian was shot and killed following an alleged attempted stabbing attack in the northern occupied West Bank district of Nablus, an Israeli army spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the "assailant" was shot and killed after attempting to attack and stab Israeli soldiers "securing the area," adding that no Israelis were injured during the incident.
The Palestinian man was identified as Wissam Marwan Qasrawa, 21, from the village of Masliya south of Nablus.
An Israeli woman was stabbed and killed in the southern occupied West Bank district of Hebron on Sunday, an Israeli army spokesperson said.
An Israeli army spokesperson said a "terrorist" broke into the home of a woman in the illegal Israeli settlement of Otniel, south of Hebron city, and stabbed her, before fleeing the scene.
Before the woman succumbed to her wounds, a spokesperson from Magen David Adom, Israel's emergency medical service, said an Israeli woman was being treated in "severe condition."
Israeli forces told residents of Otniel to remain in their homes, as large numbers of soldiers and police officers begin to search for the suspect, Hebrew media reported.
The victim of the attack has yet to be identified.
Hours before the incident, Israeli border guard officers, stationed at a checkpoint at the western entrance to the illegal Kiryat Arbaa settlement in Hebron, detained a teenage Palestinian woman after they reportedly found a knife in her bag.
Local sources in Hebron identified the girl as 18-year-old Nivin Muhsin al-Jaabari.
Earlier on Sunday, a Palestinian was shot and killed following an alleged attempted stabbing attack in the northern occupied West Bank district of Nablus, an Israeli army spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the "assailant" was shot and killed after attempting to attack and stab Israeli soldiers "securing the area," adding that no Israelis were injured during the incident.
The Palestinian man was identified as Wissam Marwan Qasrawa, 21, from the village of Masliya south of Nablus.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested Sunday evening a Palestinian young woman near the western gate of Kiryat Arba settlement illegally built in al-Khalil.
A video, published by Hebrew media outlets, shows a young Palestinian woman, dressed in a long black dress and head covering, sitting on her knees while being searched by Israeli soldiers who asked her to take off her clothes.
Palestinian media sources identified the young woman as Nevin Jabari, 18.
Eyewitnesses affirmed that Nevin was then arrested for alleged possession of a knife; however, the video did not show she was holding any sort of weapon.
Large numbers of Israeli forces rushed to the area before taking Nevin to a nearby Israeli police station, the sources added.
The video triggered widespread anger among Palestinians due to the humiliation the teenager was subjected to.
Palestinian Facebook users reacted angrily on seeing the video of Nevin’s arrest, denouncing the Arab and international silence over the Israeli crimes against Palestinians.
They also called for activating armed resistance in the occupied West Bank.
A video, published by Hebrew media outlets, shows a young Palestinian woman, dressed in a long black dress and head covering, sitting on her knees while being searched by Israeli soldiers who asked her to take off her clothes.
Palestinian media sources identified the young woman as Nevin Jabari, 18.
Eyewitnesses affirmed that Nevin was then arrested for alleged possession of a knife; however, the video did not show she was holding any sort of weapon.
Large numbers of Israeli forces rushed to the area before taking Nevin to a nearby Israeli police station, the sources added.
The video triggered widespread anger among Palestinians due to the humiliation the teenager was subjected to.
Palestinian Facebook users reacted angrily on seeing the video of Nevin’s arrest, denouncing the Arab and international silence over the Israeli crimes against Palestinians.
They also called for activating armed resistance in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli civilian security guards from the illegal Israeli settlement of Efrat in the southern occupied West Bank district of Bethlehem, detained a Palestinian shepherd on Sunday morning, locals said.
Local sources said the shepherd was identified as Salim Ahmad Ziyada, 20, from the southern Bethlehem village of Wadi Rahhal.
He was reportedly leading a herd of sheep near the settlement's fence on a hilly area on the outskirts of the Palestinian village of Artas with his cousin when he was detained, relatives told Ma’an.
Ziyada’s cousin, identified as Dirar, 18, said that two Efrat security guards arrived in a vehicle, handcuffed Ziyada and took him to an unknown location.
There are more than 500,000 Israelis living in settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The settlements are illegal under international law.
Local sources said the shepherd was identified as Salim Ahmad Ziyada, 20, from the southern Bethlehem village of Wadi Rahhal.
He was reportedly leading a herd of sheep near the settlement's fence on a hilly area on the outskirts of the Palestinian village of Artas with his cousin when he was detained, relatives told Ma’an.
Ziyada’s cousin, identified as Dirar, 18, said that two Efrat security guards arrived in a vehicle, handcuffed Ziyada and took him to an unknown location.
There are more than 500,000 Israelis living in settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The settlements are illegal under international law.
The Israeli Prison Service has refused to allow a 45-year old Palestinian prisoner to receive a medically-indicated, lifesaving heart surgery. The prisoner is now in an intermittent coma as a result, and is likely to die unless the surgery is performed, according to local sources.
45-year old Riyadh Dakhlallah al-'Amor underwent open-heart surgery two years ago in an Israeli prison hospital and a pacemaker was installed in his heart. But the pacemaker has continually caused problems for al-'Amor, and medical personnel say it must be replaced. Israeli authorities at the prison refuse to allow the surgery. As a result, al-'Amor's health has severely deteriorated.
In 2011, al-'Amor was given the wrong injection at an Israeli prison hospital while receiving treatment for his chronic heart condition. The injection he received caused temporary paralysis, and Al-Amor had difficulty moving or walking for months after the injection was given.
Al-Amor is married with five children, but is rarely able to see his family due to Israeli restrictions on visitations. He is sentenced to 11 life terms, and is serving his term in Eshel prison in Israel. His health problems trace back to his arrest by Israeli troops, when he was shot multiple times in the back, and had part of his intestines and liver removed.
The Palestinian Prisoners Committee has called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene on behalf of al-'Amor, and demand the surgery to replace his pacemaker.
According to the Prisoners Committee, al-'Amor is deteriorating in health, is going in and out of comas, and his heart rate will continue to decline unless a new pacemaker is installed.
His case was included in a complaint submitted Saturday by the Palestinian Prisoners Committee to the national committee to follow up with the International Criminal Court.
The complaint documents sixteen war crimes and seven crimes against humanity carried out by the Israeli government against Palestinian prisoners in 2015. The Committee calls on the International Criminal Court to hold Israel responsible for these crimes.
45-year old Riyadh Dakhlallah al-'Amor underwent open-heart surgery two years ago in an Israeli prison hospital and a pacemaker was installed in his heart. But the pacemaker has continually caused problems for al-'Amor, and medical personnel say it must be replaced. Israeli authorities at the prison refuse to allow the surgery. As a result, al-'Amor's health has severely deteriorated.
In 2011, al-'Amor was given the wrong injection at an Israeli prison hospital while receiving treatment for his chronic heart condition. The injection he received caused temporary paralysis, and Al-Amor had difficulty moving or walking for months after the injection was given.
Al-Amor is married with five children, but is rarely able to see his family due to Israeli restrictions on visitations. He is sentenced to 11 life terms, and is serving his term in Eshel prison in Israel. His health problems trace back to his arrest by Israeli troops, when he was shot multiple times in the back, and had part of his intestines and liver removed.
The Palestinian Prisoners Committee has called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene on behalf of al-'Amor, and demand the surgery to replace his pacemaker.
According to the Prisoners Committee, al-'Amor is deteriorating in health, is going in and out of comas, and his heart rate will continue to decline unless a new pacemaker is installed.
His case was included in a complaint submitted Saturday by the Palestinian Prisoners Committee to the national committee to follow up with the International Criminal Court.
The complaint documents sixteen war crimes and seven crimes against humanity carried out by the Israeli government against Palestinian prisoners in 2015. The Committee calls on the International Criminal Court to hold Israel responsible for these crimes.
Israeli soldiers invaded, on Sunday at dawn, the Deheishe refugee camp, south of Bethlehem, and kidnapped a Palestinian woman, the wife of a political prisoner, who is serving several life terms.
The soldiers invaded homes and searched them, before kidnapping Hanadi Mousa al-Moghrabi, 37. She is the wife of Ahmad al-Moghrabi, who was taken prisoner in 2002, and was sentenced to several life terms.
In addition, the soldiers summoned Ghassan Zawahra, 34, and two political prisoners identified as Nidal Abu Aker, 47, and Adnan al-Afandi, for interrogation in the Etzion military and security base.
It is worth mentioning that Zawahra is the brother of Mo'taz, who was critically shot in the chest, by the Israeli army fire, on October 13, 2015, and died shortly after he was moved to the hospital.
The invasion into the refugee camp led to clashes between the soldiers and local youths, who hurled stones and empty bottles on them, while the army fired rubber-coated steel bullets, gas bombs and concussion grenades; many Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
The soldiers also invaded the Manger Square in Bethlehem, and clashed with local youths; no injuries were reported.
The soldiers invaded homes and searched them, before kidnapping Hanadi Mousa al-Moghrabi, 37. She is the wife of Ahmad al-Moghrabi, who was taken prisoner in 2002, and was sentenced to several life terms.
In addition, the soldiers summoned Ghassan Zawahra, 34, and two political prisoners identified as Nidal Abu Aker, 47, and Adnan al-Afandi, for interrogation in the Etzion military and security base.
It is worth mentioning that Zawahra is the brother of Mo'taz, who was critically shot in the chest, by the Israeli army fire, on October 13, 2015, and died shortly after he was moved to the hospital.
The invasion into the refugee camp led to clashes between the soldiers and local youths, who hurled stones and empty bottles on them, while the army fired rubber-coated steel bullets, gas bombs and concussion grenades; many Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
The soldiers also invaded the Manger Square in Bethlehem, and clashed with local youths; no injuries were reported.
The Palestinian Detainees’ Committee has reported that at least 15 political prisoners, held by Israel, have been held in solitary confinement for several years, denied the right to family visits, and held under very difficult, inhumane conditions.
The Committee said that the Israeli “justification” for holding them indefinitely in isolated, small cells, is the allegation that they “pose a threat to Israel’s security.”
“The cells are like tombs; they are small, dirty and lack proper ventilation; they lack basic requirements for human use,” it stated, “The detainees are not allowed to have any of their personal belongings, including books, and whenever they are allowed out of the cells to the prison yards (usually an hour a day), they always remain handcuffed.”
Some of the detainees have been held in solitary confinement for more than three years; each receives a six-month solitary confinement order that is automatically renewed under direct orders from Israeli security officers.
“The orders are a nightmare, constant and illegal violations to the detainees and their families,” the committee added, “Such types of punishments target the detainee’s minds and bodies; they are meant to crush their spirits and steadfastness.”
The Committee also stated that all isolated detainees are denied the rights to family visits, not allowed access to books, newspapers, electric equipment, and are repeatedly transferred between different cells and prisons, in an attempt to keep them disoriented and to deny them the basic feeling of stability.
The Detainees’ Committee identified the detainees who have been in extended solitary confinement as;
1. Shokri al-Khawaja, from Ramallah.
2. Majed Ragheb Ja’ba, from Jerusalem.
3. Mohammad Nayfa Abu Rabea’a, from Tulkarem.
4. Hassan Omar, from Tulkarem.
5. Fares Sa’ada, from Hebron.
6. Hasan Kheizaran, from Lebanon.
7. Alex Mans from Belgium. (Iranian-born Belgian accused of spying for Iran).
8. Abdul-Rahman Othman, from Nablus.
9. Nour ‘Amar, from Qalqilia.
10. Abdul-Atheem Abdul-Haq, from Nablus.
11. Mousa Sofan, from Tulkarem.
12. Nahar Sa’adi, from Jenin.
13. Issam Zeineddin, from Nablus.
14. Mohammad al-Bal, from Gaza.
15. Majed al-Ja’bari, from Hebron.
The Committee said that the Israeli “justification” for holding them indefinitely in isolated, small cells, is the allegation that they “pose a threat to Israel’s security.”
“The cells are like tombs; they are small, dirty and lack proper ventilation; they lack basic requirements for human use,” it stated, “The detainees are not allowed to have any of their personal belongings, including books, and whenever they are allowed out of the cells to the prison yards (usually an hour a day), they always remain handcuffed.”
Some of the detainees have been held in solitary confinement for more than three years; each receives a six-month solitary confinement order that is automatically renewed under direct orders from Israeli security officers.
“The orders are a nightmare, constant and illegal violations to the detainees and their families,” the committee added, “Such types of punishments target the detainee’s minds and bodies; they are meant to crush their spirits and steadfastness.”
The Committee also stated that all isolated detainees are denied the rights to family visits, not allowed access to books, newspapers, electric equipment, and are repeatedly transferred between different cells and prisons, in an attempt to keep them disoriented and to deny them the basic feeling of stability.
The Detainees’ Committee identified the detainees who have been in extended solitary confinement as;
1. Shokri al-Khawaja, from Ramallah.
2. Majed Ragheb Ja’ba, from Jerusalem.
3. Mohammad Nayfa Abu Rabea’a, from Tulkarem.
4. Hassan Omar, from Tulkarem.
5. Fares Sa’ada, from Hebron.
6. Hasan Kheizaran, from Lebanon.
7. Alex Mans from Belgium. (Iranian-born Belgian accused of spying for Iran).
8. Abdul-Rahman Othman, from Nablus.
9. Nour ‘Amar, from Qalqilia.
10. Abdul-Atheem Abdul-Haq, from Nablus.
11. Mousa Sofan, from Tulkarem.
12. Nahar Sa’adi, from Jenin.
13. Issam Zeineddin, from Nablus.
14. Mohammad al-Bal, from Gaza.
15. Majed al-Ja’bari, from Hebron.
A Palestinian prisoner has been imprisoned in Israeli jails for a total of 34 years, now, a Palestinian prisoner rights advocate reported.
According to the Palestine Prisoners Center for Studies, Maher Younis, a native of Arara town, in 1948 Occupied Palestine, has now completed his 34th year in an Israeli jail.
Spokesperson for the Palestine Prisoners Center, Reyad al-Ashqar, said Younis was arrested on January 18, 1983, a couple of weeks after his cousin, Kareem (the longest serving Palestinian detainee), was kidnapped. Younis was sentenced to life on allegations of killing an Israeli occupation soldier.
Younis was first sentenced to death by hanging. In 2012, the occupation authorities reduced his sentence to 40 years.
The detainee has been prevented from visits by his second-degree relatives, al-Ashqar added.
Some eight years ago, the Israeli occupation authorities turned down an appeal by prisoner Younis to bid his cancer-stricken father last farewell while he was on his deathbed. But his dream never became true and his father died shortly after, causing Younis a remarkable psychological downturn.
On 25 February 2013, he began an open-ended hunger strike in the Gilboa lock-up in protest at being excluded, among a number of other inmates, from prisoner swap deals.
He suspended his hunger-strike after the Palestinian Authority Chairman, Mahmoud Abbas, promised to mobilize action for his release. But Abbas reneged on his promises, leaving 30 long-serving Palestinian detainees behind Israeli bars.
Younis, now 57 years old, is the second longest-serving Palestinian prisoner in Israeli jails.
According to the Palestine Prisoners Center for Studies, Maher Younis, a native of Arara town, in 1948 Occupied Palestine, has now completed his 34th year in an Israeli jail.
Spokesperson for the Palestine Prisoners Center, Reyad al-Ashqar, said Younis was arrested on January 18, 1983, a couple of weeks after his cousin, Kareem (the longest serving Palestinian detainee), was kidnapped. Younis was sentenced to life on allegations of killing an Israeli occupation soldier.
Younis was first sentenced to death by hanging. In 2012, the occupation authorities reduced his sentence to 40 years.
The detainee has been prevented from visits by his second-degree relatives, al-Ashqar added.
Some eight years ago, the Israeli occupation authorities turned down an appeal by prisoner Younis to bid his cancer-stricken father last farewell while he was on his deathbed. But his dream never became true and his father died shortly after, causing Younis a remarkable psychological downturn.
On 25 February 2013, he began an open-ended hunger strike in the Gilboa lock-up in protest at being excluded, among a number of other inmates, from prisoner swap deals.
He suspended his hunger-strike after the Palestinian Authority Chairman, Mahmoud Abbas, promised to mobilize action for his release. But Abbas reneged on his promises, leaving 30 long-serving Palestinian detainees behind Israeli bars.
Younis, now 57 years old, is the second longest-serving Palestinian prisoner in Israeli jails.
Prisoner Muhammad al-Qeiq has lost 25 kg of his overall weight and is ceaselessly vomiting blood, his wife told the PIC.
Speaking in an exclusive statement to the PIC, al-Qeiq’s wife, Fayhaa Shalash, raised alarm bells over the sharp exacerbation rocking her husband’s health status as his hunger-strike has entered its 54th day.
Shalash appealed to all humanitarian and media institutions, along with the International Federation of Journalists, to urgently step in and work on releasing her husband before it is too late.
The wife quoted lawyer Abu Esneineh, who visited al-Qeiq in the hospital, as stating that the prisoner has lost 25 kg and goes through frequent blackouts.
Prisoner al-Qeiq is also unable to stand up on his own and walk on his feet. His left hand has been tied to the hospital bed.
Shalash added that her husband refuses to take vitamins and that he has been vomiting and urinating blood.
She urged the international human rights bodies to assign a follow-up committee to keep tabs on her husband’s critical health condition.
Speaking in an exclusive statement to the PIC, al-Qeiq’s wife, Fayhaa Shalash, raised alarm bells over the sharp exacerbation rocking her husband’s health status as his hunger-strike has entered its 54th day.
Shalash appealed to all humanitarian and media institutions, along with the International Federation of Journalists, to urgently step in and work on releasing her husband before it is too late.
The wife quoted lawyer Abu Esneineh, who visited al-Qeiq in the hospital, as stating that the prisoner has lost 25 kg and goes through frequent blackouts.
Prisoner al-Qeiq is also unable to stand up on his own and walk on his feet. His left hand has been tied to the hospital bed.
Shalash added that her husband refuses to take vitamins and that he has been vomiting and urinating blood.
She urged the international human rights bodies to assign a follow-up committee to keep tabs on her husband’s critical health condition.
16 jan 2016
The Israeli military court of the Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank rejected an appeal to end the administrative detention of hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner Muhammad al-Qiq on Saturday.
Palestinian Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs Issa Qaraqe told Ma’an that the court ruled to maintain the six-month administrative detention period for al-Qiq, despite the continuation of a more than 50-day hunger strike by the prisoner.
Al-Qiq began the strike on Nov. 24, 2015, to protest his administrative detention, which allows Israel to hold him on secret evidence without charge for six-month intervals that can be renewed indefinitely.
Qaraqe said the court’s rejection of the appeal “proves intentions of revenge” by Israel against the Palestinian prisoner, referring to al-Qiq’s detention as arbitrary as Israeli prosecution had yet to press specific charges against him.
A lawyer for the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, Jawad Boulos, told Ma’an earlier this week that the 33-year-old journalist has been held at the HaEmek Medical Center in Afula handcuffed to a hospital bed, and that he was in critical condition.
Head of the society, Qadura Fares said that as of Thursday, the Israeli Prison Service had given no indication it was willing to negotiate with al-Qiq.
While the Palestinian Authority Committee for Prisoners' Affairs warned that the Israeli authorities may be preparing to force-feed al-Qiq, Physicians for Human Rights Israel told Ma'an on Wednesday that doctors at HaEmek Medical Center had "no intention" of force-feeding him.
Al-Qiq, a journalist with Filistine al-Yawm and father of two, is one of many Palestinian prisoners to use hunger strike to protest administrative detention in Israeli jails.
While the policy is permissible under international law in extreme circumstances, critics argue that Israel uses it as a punitive measure on a routine basis to circumvent the justice system.
Several Palestinians last year were able to secure their release from Israeli custody following grueling hunger strikes, including Khader Adnan, who was released after 56 days on hunger strike, and Muhammad Allan, after 66 days.
Both hunger strikes brought the prisoners close to death.
Over 660 Palestinians were being held by the Israeli Prison Service under administrative detention as of last month, according to prisoners’ rights group Addameer.
Palestinian Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs Issa Qaraqe told Ma’an that the court ruled to maintain the six-month administrative detention period for al-Qiq, despite the continuation of a more than 50-day hunger strike by the prisoner.
Al-Qiq began the strike on Nov. 24, 2015, to protest his administrative detention, which allows Israel to hold him on secret evidence without charge for six-month intervals that can be renewed indefinitely.
Qaraqe said the court’s rejection of the appeal “proves intentions of revenge” by Israel against the Palestinian prisoner, referring to al-Qiq’s detention as arbitrary as Israeli prosecution had yet to press specific charges against him.
A lawyer for the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, Jawad Boulos, told Ma’an earlier this week that the 33-year-old journalist has been held at the HaEmek Medical Center in Afula handcuffed to a hospital bed, and that he was in critical condition.
Head of the society, Qadura Fares said that as of Thursday, the Israeli Prison Service had given no indication it was willing to negotiate with al-Qiq.
While the Palestinian Authority Committee for Prisoners' Affairs warned that the Israeli authorities may be preparing to force-feed al-Qiq, Physicians for Human Rights Israel told Ma'an on Wednesday that doctors at HaEmek Medical Center had "no intention" of force-feeding him.
Al-Qiq, a journalist with Filistine al-Yawm and father of two, is one of many Palestinian prisoners to use hunger strike to protest administrative detention in Israeli jails.
While the policy is permissible under international law in extreme circumstances, critics argue that Israel uses it as a punitive measure on a routine basis to circumvent the justice system.
Several Palestinians last year were able to secure their release from Israeli custody following grueling hunger strikes, including Khader Adnan, who was released after 56 days on hunger strike, and Muhammad Allan, after 66 days.
Both hunger strikes brought the prisoners close to death.
Over 660 Palestinians were being held by the Israeli Prison Service under administrative detention as of last month, according to prisoners’ rights group Addameer.
The Palestinian journalist Mohamed al-Qiq, 33, has entered his 52nd day of hunger strike despite the continued deterioration of his health.
Family sources have earlier told the PIC reporter that their son removed on Thursday the vitamin pipes that were forcibly tied to his arm and voiced his firm rebuff of being force-fed.
According to his lawyer, al-Qeiq kept shouting and expressing his rejection of any form of medical intervention by Israeli medics, no matter how critical his health status might be.
After visiting the prisoner in Afula Hospital, his lawyer pointed out that al-Qeiq was now in critical condition, suffering severe weakness, muscle pains, and eye trouble.
Al-Qeiq's hands and one of his feet were handcuffed to the hospital bed, while he was being watched by six prison guards, the lawyer added.
Mohamed al-Qeiq has been on hunger strike since November 25, 2015 in protest at being sentenced administratively, with neither charge nor trial, for six months.
The hunger-striker’s health has sharply gone down. He has been transferred to the Afula hospital, where he has been diagnosed with chronic headaches, stomachaches, and ceaseless vomiting. He has also lost 13 kilograms of his overall weight.
Journalist al-Qeiq was kidnapped from his family home in Ramallah on November 21, 2015 and had been subjected to exhausting investigation and torture rounds which made him declare an open hunger strike.
Family sources have earlier told the PIC reporter that their son removed on Thursday the vitamin pipes that were forcibly tied to his arm and voiced his firm rebuff of being force-fed.
According to his lawyer, al-Qeiq kept shouting and expressing his rejection of any form of medical intervention by Israeli medics, no matter how critical his health status might be.
After visiting the prisoner in Afula Hospital, his lawyer pointed out that al-Qeiq was now in critical condition, suffering severe weakness, muscle pains, and eye trouble.
Al-Qeiq's hands and one of his feet were handcuffed to the hospital bed, while he was being watched by six prison guards, the lawyer added.
Mohamed al-Qeiq has been on hunger strike since November 25, 2015 in protest at being sentenced administratively, with neither charge nor trial, for six months.
The hunger-striker’s health has sharply gone down. He has been transferred to the Afula hospital, where he has been diagnosed with chronic headaches, stomachaches, and ceaseless vomiting. He has also lost 13 kilograms of his overall weight.
Journalist al-Qeiq was kidnapped from his family home in Ramallah on November 21, 2015 and had been subjected to exhausting investigation and torture rounds which made him declare an open hunger strike.
