More prisoners to start hunger strike in solidarity with administrative detainees

Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli jails have begun a hunger strike in solidarity with the administrative prisoners who have been on hunger strike for 18 days, Wa’ed Association for Prisoners and Freed Prisoners said.

Wa’ed revealed information about this escalation after it received a letter from the prisoners’ leadership committee in Israeli jails. The letter said that the prisoners were called on to join the strike voluntarily, in solidarity with their colleagues.

According to Wa’ed, at least 200 new prisoners are to join the strike today (Saturday.) It said that more prisoners will join the strike this week.

“This escalation measure came as a response to the violations against the administrative prisoners carried out by the Israeli prison services,” Wa’ed reported the letter as saying. “The prisoners have recently been subjected to strip searches, violent torture and isolation in unknown locations,” the letter added.

Several of the hunger strikers were put together with criminal prisoners, who subjected them to physical and verbal abuses.

Wa’ed said that it would increase its popular activities in solidarity with the hunger strikers. It will set up a solidarity tent in front of the Red Cross Headquarters in the Gaza Strip.

On Monday Wa’ed said a group of former prisoners and family members of the current prisoners would take part in a hunger strike inside the tent. It also called for mass media to be more involved in the hunger strike in order to reflect the suffering of the prisoners inside Israeli jails.

Hunger strikers started their strike on 24 April protesting against their administrative detention and the Israeli violation of their rights and freedoms inside Israeli jails.