Palestine: Hunger Strikers’ Families Wage Own Battles
As soon the electricity comes on in her house in Gaza, the mother of Palestinian prisoner Ahmad al-Shamali rushes to the TV set to watch the latest news. She is eager to find out about the state of her son, particularly as it has been 16 days since he and his fellow prisoners began a hunger strike. Shamali’s mother lives in a state of constant apprehension and worry over her son, who has spent four of his 18-year prison sentence without seeing his own children. She is worried about Shamali, saying that she has not heard news about him for more than 14 days. She is slightly reassured when the daily news does not mention him as a martyr or among those who are in a critical condition as a result of the hunger strike.