Administrative detention: Israel hunts al-Balboul brothers again

Mohammed and Mahmoud al-Balboul were again arrested, last month, by Israeli occupation forces (IOF). Over the years, they have been repeatedly detained by the IOF. Although Mahmoud has now been released, his brother Mohammed remains in prison under administrative detention.

Administrative detention—repeated arrests for the al-Balboul brothers

On June 9, 2016, Israeli occupation soldiers raided the al-Balboul family home in Bethlehem late at night. They blew down the door and stormed into the house with dogs. They arrested Mohammed and Mahmoud, and detained them under administrative detention. This means the brothers were held without charge or trial, for renewable six-month periods, while the evidence against them was kept secret, even from their lawyers. Mohammed had previously endured 14 months of detention when he was 17. Two of these months were in solitary confinement. This time he received a six-month order, while Mahmoud was given five months.

By July 4, 2016, the brothers launched an open hunger strike in Ofer and Ramon prisons. They consumed only water and refusing vitamins or salt. This came in solidarity with hungerstriker Bilal Kayed. Kayed had served 14 and a half years, and on the day he was supposed to be released he was sentenced to six months of administrative detention. He then went on hunger strike.

Prison raids followed, with guards punishing strikers, but the al-Balbouls persisted despite deteriorating health. Mohammed suffered temporary blindness and massive weight loss, Mahmoud was nearly paralysed. The prison authorities denied their mother permission to visit, making their suffering even worse.

Hunger strike

The brothers were on hunger strike for more than two months, to protest their administrative detention. Both were eventually hospitalized amid coma risks. Israeli courts gave permission for hospital staff and Israeli occupying authorities to force-feed them, which is considered a form of torture, but the brothers rejected it. The Palestinian Prisoners Society warned of imminent death, highlighting administrative detention’s toll on thousands.​ The brothers’ actions drew solidarity strikes from more than 100 Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails.

On September 21, 2016 the brothers ended their strike after reaching an agreement that secured their release.

A Palestinian family tormented by the Israeli occupation

In 2008, undercover occupation forces, disguised as Palestinian civilians, assassinated their father, Ahmad al-Balboul. They ambushed a car carrying al-Balboul and three other Palestinians. The Israeli occupation forces opened fire without warning, killing all four men instantly. They had accused Ahmad of leading the Fateh-affiliated Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Bethlehem.

The brothers’ 15-year-old sister Nuran served three months in Israeli occupation prisons, from April 2016, after she was stopped by the IOF at a checkpoint and accused of carrying a knife. Nuran claimed she had no knife, but was arrested after arguing with a female soldier whilst trying to visit Jerusalem with her Aunt.

The al-Balboul brothers are just two of the many thousands of Palestinians that the occupation locks up in its prisons. No one is spared from this carceral regime, where youths, the elderly, sick and pregnant are imprisoned regardless. More than 450 children, and 53 women are currently detained. Almost 3580 detainees are administrative detainees, held indefinitely without trial. Thousands more have been abducted in Gaza. Neglect, malnutrition and torture of prisoners by Israeli prison authorities are systematic, as confirmed in a new report by Physicians for Human Rights. ‘Israel’ has killed at least 94 Palestinian detainees since October 7, 2023.

Featured image supplied by author