Islamic Jihad’s military wing has announced “a general state of alert” for its fighters in response to the deteriorating health situation of security detainee Maher al-Akhras, who has been on a hunger strike in protest of his detention by Israel for the past 90 days.
“The Al-Quds Brigades have announced a state of alert for its fighters following the deteriorating health situation which threatens the life of the hunger-striking prisoner Maher al-Akhras,” a commander in the Palestinian terror group’s military wing says in a statement.
The Brigades uploaded the statement, erased it, and uploaded it again, according to the Kan Public Broadcaster.
Maher al-Akhras, a 49-year-old security prisoner, while on hunger strike in Kaplan hospital in Rehovot, October 8, 2020 (Aaron Boxerman/Times of Israel)
Human rights groups warn that al-Akhras is at risk of dying from his protracted hunger strike, in a move which could reignite confrontations along the Gaza border.
Al-Akhras has been detained since mid-July by Israel’s security services, who allege that he is a member of Islamic Jihad. Al-Akhras denies the accusation. The Palestinian terror group, which occasionally fires rockets and explosive balloons at Israeli civilian areas, has previously threatened retaliation should al-Akhras die in Israeli custody.
— Aaron Boxerman
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