Palestine prisoner goes on hunger strike as Israel refuses to set date for surgery 

Palestinian prisoner Maher Abu Rayan yesterday announced that he is launching a hunger strike, protesting delays in his medical treatment as a result of the actions of the Israeli Prison Service (IPS).

The 43-year-old, who hails from Hebron in the occupied West Bank, suffers from lung problems. During his detention in 2003, occupation soldiers attacked him and broke his nose. As a result, he underwent surgery in 2015 to fix his broken nose.

His health condition deteriorated again in 2018 because of excess fluid in the lungs.

READ: Palestinian brothers on 10th day of hunger strike against administrative detention

Later, Abu Rayan underwent thoracentesis, a procedure to remove excess fluid from the lungs. However, he still needs special treatment and has developed a sinus problem and needs surgery which he has been waiting for more than two years.

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Club said that the IPS claimed that Abu Rayan had refused the surgery. Claims he refuted and filed lawsuits over the past two years against.  He is currently serving a sentence of 25 years.