Shadi Ma’ali, 39, is a Palestinian refugee from Palestine ’48, and a resident of Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem. A longtime activist in the camp, he has been arrested multiple times by the Israeli occupation military forces, and has spent approximately 12 years in Israeli prisons.
In February 2014, he was released after 22 months in Israeli prisons, only to be arrested again on 28 June 2014 as part of the mass arrest raids taking place throughout the West Bank, particularly targeting former prisoners. His home was invaded and ransacked, and he was immediately imprisoned under administrative detention without charge or trial. His administrative detention was renewed in December 2014, and again on 28 June 2015.
He participated in hunger strikes when held in Israeli prisons in the past, including the mass 2012 Karameh hunger strike and a 2013 hunger strike in solidarity with Samer Issawi, then on a long-term hunger strike.
He began his current strike on 20 August 2015, demanding an end to administrative detention.