Palestinian prisoners no matter how old never abandon the hope of reclaiming their freedom despite the unlawful and cruel Israeli policies practiced against them in Israeli jails.
Awad al-Saadi 45 spent his latest twenties and all of his thirties in Israeli jails. He spent a couple of years in solitary confinement in addition to suffering serious medical conditions due to his hunger strike.
His prison sentence was extended and exorbitant fines were imposed on him. However such practices pushed him to remain steadfast until he was released on the 12th of February 2023.
Violent Arrest
Israeli soldiers arrested Al-Saidi on the 12th of February 2004 after storming his family’s home in the Al Mughraqa village south of the Gaza governorate.
During the arrest the Al-Saidi family’s home in Al Mughraqa was demolished his brother Zakariyya was brutally killed and his brother Akram was arrested as well.
Al-Saidi was sentenced to 15 years in jail for charges related to carrying out shooting attacks and participating in resistance activities.
Oppressive Decisions
In March 2012 Al-Saidi defended Palestinian prisoner Abbas Al-Sayyid after an Israeli jailer assaulted him in the Nafha prison.
Al-Saidi was accused of trying to stab the jailer and therefore an Israeli court sentenced him to an additional four years over his original sentence according to a report issued in 2013 by Addameer Human Rights Association.
The report added that a fine of 50000 shekels was imposed on Al-Saidi in addition to another fine of 10000 shekels in compensation for the jailer. The court also decided to place him in solitary confinement following the incident.
Solitary Confinement
Ex-prisoner Al-Saidi spent about two years in solitary confinement cells first in Ela confinement cells and later in the isolation of Eshel prison.
Al-Saidi had been placed in solitary confinement since April 2012. On the 3rd of April 2013 several prisoners were transferred from confinement cells to the prison facility. However the Israeli prison service transferred Al-Saidi to another confinement cell in Eshel. He was surprised by the decision especially since Eshel was worse than his former isolation in Ela.
He had been on hunger strike twice in protest at his solitary confinement. When his demands to end his isolation were rejected he went on another hunger strike for 15 days from the 20th of June 2013 until the 5th of July 2013 to reject the continuation of his solitary confinement.
Family Bonds
It was impossible for the family of Al-Saidi to visit him for two years while he was held in isolation. Furthermore they had been denied visits for six consecutive years from 2006 until 2012 meeting him only a few times during his 19-year prison term.
Such tough circumstances he lived in Israeli jails along with the high prevalence of deadly diseases in addition to his deteriorating health condition due to his isolation and hunger strike all combined raised his concerns about the question of whether he could reunite with his family again.
Yet Awad’s hope was greater than fear. Such doubts didn’t weaken him. In fact building a family of his own no matter how far it seemed to be became a possible dream for him.
Two weeks ago Palestinian families in the camp of Nusairat in the central Gaza Strip celebrated the freedom of Al-Saidi after he completed his 19-year prison sentence. A few days following his release Awad realized that wishing to build his own family was not wishing for the impossible. On the 14th of February 2023 Al-Saidi celebrated his wedding heading for a new life of freedom and dignity.
