Jerusalem ( CNN ) -- Entering the 80th day of a hunger strike Wednesday , former Palestinian national football player Mahmoud Sarsak said he will continue until he is released from the Israeli prison where he has been held without charge since July 2009 . Sarsak is protesting Israel 's controversial policy of `` illegal combatant '' -- also known as administrative detention -- which allows Israeli authorities to detain Palestinians indefinitely . Also Wednesday , two human rights organizations expressed concern about Sarsak and two other hunger strikers : Akram Rikhawi , whose protest was entering its 56th day , and Samer Al-Barq , who 's been held since July 2010 . A month ago , most of the 1,650 Palestinian prisoners on a hunger strike against administrative detention ended their protest after an Egyptian-mediated agreement between Israeli and Palestinian authorities to improve prison conditions . However , Sarsak and a handful of other prisoners continued to starve themselves . Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev told CNN that Sarsak 's case `` has been brought before numerous judges who have seen the evidence and have ruled in favor of his continued detention . He is part of Islamic jihad , one of the most extreme Iranian-supported terrorist organizations , that has a track record of brutal murder against innocent civilians . '' A native of the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah , Sarsak , 25 , was on his way to join the Balata football team in the West Bank when he was arrested three years ago despite having the proper Israeli permits to travel , his family told CNN . `` The Israeli occupation is unjust in arresting my brother without any reason , '' Imad , Sarsak 's 36-year-old brother , told CNN . `` He has been in an Israeli prison for more than three years without any charge . On what basis does Israel arrest him ? He was not carrying any explosives , only his football outfit and his football shoes . Israel is violating international law , my brother does not belong to any militant organization , '' Imad Sarsak said . Human rights lawyers contest Israel 's detention of Sarsak and say it is politically motivated . `` The use of the 'illegal combatant law , ' like in the case of Mahmoud Sarsak , is a political reason and not a security reason as Israel is claiming , '' said Sahar Francis , the director of Addameer , a group that advocates human rights and provides prisoner support . Francis went further , accusing Israel of detaining him to damage his career . Sivan Weizman , a spokeswoman for the Israeli prison service , told CNN that `` Sarsak has not been on a hunger strike for all the 80 days ; he eats and restarts his hunger strike . He is in an Israeli military medical center and getting medical care . '' But human rights activists are worried about his health . In a joint statement , Physicians for Human Rights-Israel and the Palestinian Council of Human Rights Organizations said that Sarsak 's protest has caused `` an imminent threat to his life . '' They say he has lost muscle tissue and 33 % of his body weight , and suffers from frequent fainting and lapses in memory . They also said pulse disruptions are endangering his life . Anat Litvin , the director of prisoners and detainees for Physicians for Human Rights-Israel , told CNN that `` Sarsak is the longest Palestinian on hunger strike , and we are afraid that the medical center of the Israeli prison service is not the right place for him to be , because they are not able to give him the proper treatment , especially if something happens in his condition while on hunger strike . The fear is that there will be rapid deterioration ; they can not perform medical tests such as blood tests and ultrasound or an X-ray on the spot . '' Rikhawi , the statement said , has lost muscle tissue and a drastic amount of weight , and needs immediate hospitalization . He has been in a prison medical center `` since his arrest in 2004 , as he suffers from many different chronic conditions . '' Doctors are force-feeding him , the statement said . The human rights groups said that Al-Barq , 38 , began his hunger strike in April , suspended it on May 14 and restarted it on May 21 . The statement called for the strikers to be moved to civilian hospitals with access to independent doctors and family members , and urged the United Nations , United States and Europe to pressure Israel to end administrative detention . An Amnesty International report released Wednesday calls on the Israeli government to release all prisoners held under administrative detention or to give them fair trials . Titled `` Starved Justice , '' the report says that the nonviolent protests , which brought several detainees close to death , drew global attention to the fact that Palestinian prisoners held by Israel continue to be starved of justice . The report also alleges torture and ill treatment during interrogations of Palestinian prisoners , especially those held under administrative detention .
Mahmoud Sarsak 's protest at an Israeli prison entered its 80th day Wednesday . He has been held without charge since July 2009 . Israeli authorities say he 's a dangerous extremist , and his strike has stopped and restarted . But his family says he 's not a militant , and rights activists worry about his health .