'Immediate death' facing Palestinian hunger-striker on 74th day
"Each minute marks a serious threat to his life, because it is probable that his inner organs will stop operating at any moment, leading to immediate death."
By JPOST.COM STAFFUpdated: FEBRUARY 6, 2016 19:10A handout supporting a Palestinian hunger striker.(photo credit: Courtesy)
Israeli doctors said that a Palestinian hunger-striker could face "immediate death" after refusing to eat for over two months, Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported on Saturday.Muhammad al-Kik, the 33-year-old resident of Ramallah, is on the 74th day of a hunger strike. Medical professionals at Emek Hospital voiced concern regarding Kik's rapidly deteriorating condition, remarking: "Each minute marks a serious threat to his life, because it is probable that his inner organs will stop operating at any moment, leading to immediate death."Kik's hunger strike came as a protest of his administrative detention by Israel. Kik was arrested on November 21 at his home in Ramallah for terrorist activities connected to Hamas, according to Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency].Last month, the hospital's ethics committee reached a decision to permit forced treatment on Kik, although it was against his demands. Palestinian leadership as well as international human rights organizations met this decision with outrage.Last Thursday, Kik rejected the Israeli Supreme Court ruling that would transiently suspend his incarceration without a trial, citing that the ruling was an effort to undermine his struggle.In the one recent instance where the High Court employed this new idea of suspending administrative detention, the detention was immediately reactivated once the detainee’s health had recovered – though only for a short period before he was released.Kik responded to the court's decision by pledging to maintain his hunger strike with the following ultimatum: "martyrdom or freedom."