Twelve Palestinians on hunger strike in Israeli jails

Twelve Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails continue their hunger strike in protest against being held in administrative detention, Press TV reports.

According to a report issued by the Palestinian Ministry for Prisoner Affairs, Akras al-Fseisi, Moammar Banat, and Waheed Abu Maraya have been on hunger strike for 66 days while Amir al-Shams has been refusing food for 64 days.

Meanwhile, Palestinian authorities have warned about the deteriorating health condition of the prisoners who are from the occupied West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron).

“The hunger strikers are in a dangerous situation and their bodies are failing. Some of them have been on hunger strike for two months,” said Issa Qaraqe, the Palestinian Authority’s minister for prisoner affairs, adding that the Israeli regime has subjected them to torture and prevented them from contacting their family members.

According to human rights groups, more than 4,800 Palestinians have been held in Israeli jails as of January 2014.

The groups often criticize Israeli prison authorities for rampant rights abuses in jails and reports of mysterious deaths of inmates in custody. They also complain that many Palestinians are kept in administrative detention.

Administrative detention is a sort of imprisonment without trial or charge that allows Israel to incarcerate Palestinians for up to six months. The detention order can be renewed for indefinite periods of time.

Source: PressTV