Palestinian prisoner Hamza Bouzia suspends hunger strike; Khawaja continues strike against detention

Palestinian prisoner Hamza Marwan Bouzia, 27, of Kifl Hares near Salfit, suspended his hunger strike on Sunday, 26 November after 35 days, said his mother to Asra Voice. She noted that Bouzia had reached an agreement with the prison administration and that he will be charged in military court rather than held without charge or trial under administrative detention.

She noted that he has lost 25 kilograms (50 lbs) of weight since he launched the strike and is suffering from severe fatigue and exhaustion. Bouzia has previously spent seven years in Israeli prisons on charges of struggling to end the occupation and membership in a prohibited organization, a designation that includes most major Palestinian political parties.

Meanwhile, Salah Khawaja of Nil’in is continuing his hunger strike on the 14th day against his administrative detention, imprisonment without charge or trial, which was renewed one day before his scheduled release. Administrative detention orders are indefinitely renewable and Palestinians can spend years at a time jailed under these orders.

Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs Commission lawyer Ashraf al-Khatib said on Sunday that former hunger striker Bilal Diab, 32, from Kafr Ra’i near Jenin, is currently recovering from his own 23-day hunger strike and his health is gradually being restored, while he is still suffering from abdominal pains and other aches. Diab suspended his strike after an agreement that his imprisonment without charge or trial will not be renewed and he will be released on 12 January 2018.