Dozens of Palestinians participated on Saturday morning, in the sit-in in solidarity with the prisoner Mahmud Sarsak, who has been on hunger strike for 80 consecutive days, in front of the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza City.
Sarsak (25 years), a resident of the Rafah refugee camp southern Gaza Strip, was one of the Palestinian National Football team’s members when he was arrested by the occupation forces on 22 July 2009 on his way to join the Sports club in the West Bank.
The sit-in was organized by Prisoners for national forces committee which, in cooperation with "Mohjat al-Quds" institution, set up an open-ended sit-in tent in front of the Red Cross. The protestors raised photos of Sarsak and chanted slogans demanding international bodies to immediately intervene for his release.
Imad Sarsak, captive Mahmud's brother, revealed that his brother entered his eightieth day of hunger strike, stressing on the serious deterioration in his health and his loss of hearing and sight.
He reported that the lawyer of the Palestinian Prisoners Society informed Mahmud Sarsak's family about his brother’s serious health deterioration which may cause his martyrdom at any time.
The hunger strike of the prisoner Sarsak is considered the longest one, since it lasted 80 days, noting that an Irish detainee had previously recorded the longest hunger strike which had lasted 73 days.
