More Palestinians join hunger strike

Nearly 50 more Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have gone on a hunger strike in support of their fellow inmates who have been on such a strike for over a month now.

On Sunday, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society said that 15 prisoners in Israel’s Ofer prison located near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank joined the hunger strike.

According to the society, 32 more Palestinian detainees held in the Israeli Negev prison of Ktziot began a hunger strike on the same day to join the administrative prisoners.

Some 120 Palestinian prisoners have been on hunger strike since April 24 in protest at the Israeli “administrative detention.” Administrative detention is a sort of imprisonment without trial or charge that allows Israel to imprison Palestinians for up to six months. The detention order can, however, be renewed for an indefinite period of time.

On Saturday, hundreds of Palestinians held a demonstration in the occupied West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron) in solidarity with the hunger strikers. Clashes erupted when Israeli forces fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. Dozens of protesters were injured and several others arrested.

More than 120 Palestinian prisoners, including the two jailed leaders, went on a single-day hunger strike last Wednesday in support of the group of administrative detainees who have been refusing meals.

Palestinian prisoner human rights organization Addameer estimates that around 183 Palestinians are currently being held in administrative detention.

Over 800,000 Palestinians have been detained since 1967, with 5,224 currently being held in Israeli prisons, according to the Palestinian Liberation Organization.