The undersecretary of the Committee for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs, Abdul Qader Al Khatib, warned that Abu Hawash is very close to death due to many organ failures in his body, for which he called on the international community to put pressure on Tel Aviv to obtain his release.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry made a similar statement, holding the neighboring country’s authorities responsible for the prisoner’s life.

The Foreign Ministry announced in a communiqué that it is in contact with various UN organizations to denounce the case and force Israel to release the prisoner.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expressed its deep concern over the issue this weekend. Palestinian National Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh also urged Israeli authorities to release Hawash, who is being held under a policy of administrative detention.

Criticized by the UN and human rights groups, the so-called administrative detention is used by Israel to arrest Palestinians for renewable intervals usually ranging from three to six months on the basis of undisclosed evidence that even the defendant’s lawyer is barred from seeing.

In the event of Hawash’s death, the Islamic Jihad group threatened the Jewish state with harsh reprisals.

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