Amnesty International delegates met family of Palestinian on hunger strike against his detention without trial in Israel
When we arrived in Gaza on 13 June, Mahmoud al-Sarsak had been on
hunger strike for more than 91 days. Soon after our entry we headed
south, to Rafah, where Mahmoud’s family lives.
In the main square in Rafah stood the tent erected to show solidarity
with Mahmoud; activists have painted a large mural on one side and put
pictures of him all around the square.
Our arrival was followed by that of the youth football team that had
won a competition held in support of Mahmoud. They were greeted with
cheers.
The square was bustling with the noise of cars, people speaking, kids
playing, and Palestinian songs blasting from the speakers set up by the
activists.
In the midst of it all Mahmoud’s family were sitting next to each other. Their silence was overwhelming, almost deafening.
We approached the family and arranged to speak with them at the nearby office of the Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights.
On the way we asked Mahmoud’s brother Imad about the last time he had
heard from his sibling, and he told us about a letter he’d received.
“It was devastating,” he said, “I could not finish reading it. My
young brother was describing his death to me; he was asking me to do
certain things when we receive him back as a dead body. I could not
finish reading it, and I promised myself not to talk about it to anyone.
You are the first one I mention this to. I am not sure why I am doing
this now.”
The family has had no direct contact with Mahmoud since he began his
hunger strike on 16 March. They, as other families from Gaza, are
prohibited from visiting their son in the Israeli prison. Since his
arrest in 2009, the family have been able to speak with him only a few
times over the phone.
In the office the family told us about their son before the arrest.
They described a young man with large ambitions who travelled to Norway,
Iraq, Kuwait, and Iran to play with the Palestinian national football
team. The family talked about the prizes that Mahmoud had won, how
international football coaches and players praised his talent, the
offers he received, and how he was realizing his dream by becoming a
professional football player.
“He was the youngest player on the national team,” his mother says
proudly. For the first time we can see a hint of a smile on her face.
But that quickly disappears. “He was travelling to the West Bank where a
football club had contracted him when the Israelis arrested him. He has
been locked up for more than three years for absolutely no reason. Now
he is dying, and we are dying each day a thousand times with him.”
At some point during the conversation Imad broke down and left the
room to wash his face. We decided to wrap it up and give them some
space; it was turning dark and it had obviously been another long and
difficult day for this family whose son has decided to protest the
injustice Israel has imposed on him.
But we had to ask one more question, we wanted to know what the
family wants from the international community and what they think they
could do.
“We want to thank you all. Everyone who is standing with Mahmoud now
and campaigning for his cause. We thank them and ask that they continue
the pressure, especially people in Western countries, they can demand
that their governments save Mahmoud. There is no time left.”
We said goodbye and returned to the square again. Most people have
left and only a handful of the activists organizing the activities are
still there. Solidarity for this day is done, but the family’s agony
grows and Mahmoud is ever closer to death.
There is no time left indeed and Israel must do the right thing now
and admit Mahmoud to a hospital to save his life or release him
immediately to receive the appropriate medical care.
Read more:
Palestinian hunger striker on verge of death must be admitted to hospital or released (News story, 14 June 2012)
Hunger striker nears death in prison clinic: Mahmoud al-Sarsak (Urgent action, 11 June 2012)
Starved of Justice: Palestinians detained without trial by Israel (Report, 6 June 2012)
8/10/2012 1:13:00 PM