Skip to main content
Abu Hawash’s victory
RAMZY BAROUD explains how one Palestinian hunger striker forced historic Israeli concessions from his prison bed
Palestinians attend a protest in solidarity with Hisham Abu Hawash January 2 2022. The Arabic reads: ‘Those starving behind bars feed the universe with dignity

AS soon as media reports emerged regarding a deal between Palestinian prisoner Hisham Abu Hawash and the Israeli prison authorities, Israeli extremists, led by Knesset member Itamar Ben-Gvir, angrily raided the Assaf Harofeh Hospital where Abu Hawash was being held.

A Palestinian political activist, Abu Hawash, 41, is a father of five. He was arrested by the Israeli army from his home in the town of Dura near Al-Khalil (Hebron) in October 2020. For the last consecutive 141 days, prior to the agreement, Abu Hawash has staged a hunger strike, which will go down in the history of Palestinian resistance as one of the longest and arguably, most consequential.

Ben-Gvir and other right-wing Israelis were enraged by the government's decision to release Abu Hawash on February 26, at a time that the Naftali Bennet coalition is labouring to demonstrate its pro-Jewish settlers’ credentials and overall hard-line policies against any form of Palestinian resistance. Indeed, for many Israelis, any such compromise is considered an outright defeat for Israel and an unquestionable victory for Palestinians.  

Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
President Donald Trump, right, shakes the hand of Israel's P
Features / 15 April 2025
15 April 2025
Once able to defy a US president before Congress, Netanyahu now finds himself weakened by military setbacks and facing a populist Trump who may yet put ‘America first’ instead of Israel, writes RAMZY BAROUD
BREAKING POINT: Israelis take part in a protest against Prim
Features / 10 April 2025
10 April 2025
Netanyahu’s failed attempt to replace Shin Bet’s chief violates longstanding Israeli political taboos, as the apartheid state’s internal power struggle spirals to a new level of crisis while Gaza burns, writes RAMZY BAROUD
Buildings destroyed during the Israeli air and ground offens
Features / 4 March 2025
4 March 2025
Israel’s crimes in Gaza have forced a reckoning with international law’s selective application as Western nations sanction ICC prosecutors and attack UN officials who demand accountability, writes RAMZY BAROUD
West Bank
Features / 10 February 2025
10 February 2025
Will 2025 be a year of combat for Israel, as promised by the new IDF chief of staff, wonders RAMZY BAROUD
Similar stories
An Israeli soldier waves from a moving tank near the Israeli
World / 24 October 2024
24 October 2024
11 - IDF captives
Features / 14 August 2024
14 August 2024
Leaked videos, starving prisoners and biblical revenge – RAMZY BAROUD peels back the layers of Israel’s desperate bid to restore fear after October 7 shattered its myths
8 - March of Return
Features / 10 May 2024
10 May 2024
The first task of the resistance is to prevent the attack on Rafah and end the genocide. However, soon thereafter, the political malaise that has befallen the Palestinian people must be overcome, writes VIJAY PRASHAD