Two Palestinian detainees on hunger strike for 46 days in protest against their detention without charge or trial

Palestinian detainees Kayed al-Fasfous and Sultan Khlouf have been on an open-ended hunger strike for the 46 days in protest of their unfair detention without charges or trial under Israel’s so-called administrative detention policy, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS).

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) said although the health conditions of the two detainees are deteriorating as a result of their hunger strike, the Israel Prison Service has not heeded their calls for early release or a trial.

Khlouf, 42 years old from the town of Burqin, in the northern West Bank province of Jenin, has been suffering from vomiting, a blurred vision, severe headaches, dizziness, and difficulty standing, as a result of his hunger strike.

Fasfous, 34 years old from the town of Dura in Hebron Governorate, has been in jail without charges or trial since May 2, 2023. He is a former prisoner who had previously spent approximately 7 years in Israeli prisons.

The occupying state of Israel is holding at least 1,1,260 Palestinians under administrative detention without charge or trial – the highest number since human rights groups began collecting monthly data in 2001, according to Israeli Prison Service data obtained by rights group HaMoked.

Israel is also facing a prison overcrowding crisis, with its current prison population of 16,279 being in excess of the standard of 14,500 set by the Knesset’s Interior Committee.

There are 5,100 Palestinians jailed by Israel, with 1,200 held in “administrative detention”, according to data provided by the prisoners’ advocacy group Addameer.

Administrative detainees have neither been charged with a crime nor granted a trial, and they and their lawyers are prevented from seeing evidence against them.

The detention orders typically last between three to six months and can be renewed indefinitely.