Egypt concerned for Palestine hunger-strikers in Israeli jails: Egyptian FM

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr has expressed grave “concern” over the “deteriorating” health of hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails”, calling on the international community to intervene.

According to a statement released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, Amr “expressed his concern over reports about the deteriorating health of Palestinian hunger strikers in Israeli jails.”

This comes after Acting Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas appealed to the international community to intervene in support of Palestinian prisoners.

“We ask the international community to respond effectively to ease the situation, otherwise it will be impossible to control and it will deteriorate across the Palestinian territories,” Abbas said on Tuesday.

“Things may get out of control if the lives of the hunger strikers are not saved… These prisoners are on hunger strike in response to the policy of administrative detention and ill-treatment by the occupying authorities,” he added.

Abbas stated that many detainees, particularly Samer Assawi, Jaafar Ezzedine, Ayman Sharawneh, and Tareq Qaadan, are in urgent need of special attention.

Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been subject to human rights violations such as the use of torture during interrogations.

The administrative detention, often implemented by the Israeli regime against Palestinians, means a prisoner can be held for up to six months without trial or charge. However, the detention order can be renewed for indefinite periods of time.

Independent rights groups say Israelis frequently put Palestinian detainees in solitary confinement, allowing very few family visits, and often forcing them to go through regular strip searches.

According to an April 1, 2012 report published by the non-governmental Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, at least 4,610 “political” Palestinian prisoners are held in Israeli jails.

Independent sources, however, put the number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails at 11,000.