Palestinian hunger striker said to be in critical condition

Relatives and supporters of a Palestinian man held without charge by Israel on suspicion of terrorism activity say he is in critical condition in an Israeli hospital following a hunger strike of more than 70 days.

Maher al-Akhras, 49, began his hunger strike after he was arrested and placed into administrative detention in late July. Administrative detention is an Israeli policy that allows it to detain suspected terrorists without filing charges, sometimes for months at a time with multiple extensions.

Al-Akhras’s wife, Taghreed, tells The Associated Press that her husband has survived on water alone while he demands his release. Speaking from his room at Kaplan Hospital in central Israel, she says al-Akhras has been hospitalized since September 6 and he was too weak to speak or get up to go to the bathroom.

“He lost half of his weight. He suffers spasms,” she says. “He has a constant strong headache and constant buzzing in the ears, fatigue, with no energy to talk to me.”

A medical official declines to provide details on his condition, saying only that it was stable. The official, citing confidential medical information, speaks on condition of anonymity.

Israel’s Shin Bet security agency says al-Akhras was arrested on July 27 based on information that he is active in the Islamic Jihad terror group and was involved in “activities that endanger public safety.” It says he has been arrested five previous times for involvement in terror activities.

But al-Akhras’s wife says he is not an activist in any group, and only has campaigned for the rights of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

His lawyer, Ahlam Haddad, says her client rejected an offer to be released at the end of his current administrative detention on November 26 and demands to be let go immediately.

His wife says al-Akhras knows his life is in danger. “He says this is the only way he can achieve justice,” she says.

— Agencies with Times of Israel staff