Re-arrested prisoner Randa Shahatit launches hunger strike against her isolation

Re-arrested Palestinian prisoner Randa Shahatit has launched a hunger strike; as of 26 January, she has been refusing food for four days in protest of her re-arrest and her isolation in HaSharon prison. Shahatit, 29, was seized by occupation forces on Friday night, 20 January, at an Israeli occupation military checkpoint at the entrance to al-Fuwwar refugee camp south of al-Khalil.

She has previously been arrested on multiple occasions; freed from a 50-month sentence in the Wafa al-Ahrar prisoner exchange in 2011, she was seized on 4 August 2016 and accused of “violating the terms of her release.” She was released 12 days later on bail conditions while her case was considered by the secret Israeli military committee that can re-impose former sentences on prisoners freed in prisoner exchanges. During this time, she was forbidden to leave her hometown of Yatta or participate in any events and ordered to report weekly to the Israeli military base in Kiryat Arba illegal settlement. On 3 January, her confinement was lifted and Palestinian lawyer Ahmad Safia reported that the Ofer military court had decided not to reimpose her sentence but that for four years, she “must not breach her release conditions.”

However, only two weeks later, Shahatit was again arrested. She is now accused of violating her bail conditions while the military commission reviewed her case. Shahatit, who has a bachelor’s degree in law, is married to Yousef Abu Sabha, who was with her when she was taken from their car. They have three children, Hamza, Ibrahim and Abrar, who are 3 years old, 2 years old and 9 months old. She will have another hearing in the Ofer military court today, 26 January, reported her sister, Jihan Shahatit.