Exclusive: Occupation failed in bid to kill Abu Hawash - PIJ official
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PIJ official Mohammad Shallah tells Al Mayadeen Net the occupation sees that every time the PIJ pressures the occupation, it wins.
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Victorious Palestinian prisoner Hisham Abu Hawash
Initial information says the Israeli military prosecution informed lawyer Jawad Boulos of its approval of releasing prisoner Hisham Abu Hawash on February 26, meaning he can end his hunger strike, Palestinian Islamic Jihad senior official Mohammad Shallah told Al Mayadeen Net on Tuesday.
It is up to the prisoner to agree to the deal, Shallah said, adding that his approval means the decision went into force, and he can go back to his life. However, he will remain under supervision and detention until his release in February.
The PIJ official said information the group received lately suggested that "the Israelis were determined to kill Hisham, as it sees that every time the PIJ pressured it, it won, and then the PIJ would go to the media, expose the occupation's crimes, and celebrate its victory."
"The Israeli occupation was asking mediators with the PIJ to tone down their threats," Shallah revealed, asserting that the PIJ did not listen to any mediators, "But we are thankful for their efforts."
According to the senior official, PIJ had fully coordinated with Al-Quds Brigades and Al-Qassam Brigades in case the Israeli occupation "made the decision to drag us into a battle, and we were expecting the occupation to stall until the martyrdom of Hisham."
Shallah explained that what they expected from the occupation was the reason behind their calls to protests and preparing the people through marches and protests.
"The Israeli occupation got our message, and it was convinced that we were completely serious, determined, and unwavering; PIJ was determined to liberate the prisoner," he asserted.
Had Abu Hawash been martyred, he stressed, "We would have seen that as an assassination, and there would have been a response."
Hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner Hisham Abu Hawash is expected to end his hunger strike in the coming hours, Al Mayadeen correspondent reported.
"Abu Hawash's decision to end his hunger strike comes after reaching an agreement that stipulates that he would be freed on February 26," our correspondent added.
40-year-old Hisham Abu Hawash, from Dura, Al-Khalil, has been on hunger strike for 141 days in protest of his administrative detention as warnings over the deterioration of his health grow.
Abu Hawash has been in prison since October 2020, and the Israeli occupation forces have issued three administrative detention orders against him since his arrest, one of which was issued after the 70th day of his hunger strike.
He is a father to five children, and his total time in prison amounts to eight years, 52 months of which were spent in administrative detention.
