70 Palestinian hunger strikers sent to Israeli hospitals

Seventy Palestinian prisoners were transferred by the Israeli Prison Authority to Israeli hospitals on Sunday following the deterioration of their health as a result of their hunger strike that started 39 days ago.

The 70 administrative prisoners had started a hunger strike in protest to their detention without charge.

The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on its website: “It was also cleared for publication Sunday that 70 administrative detainees have been hospitalised across the country after they went on a mass hunger strike five weeks ago in protest of their arrest and the fact they have not been put on trial.

“In addition to the 70 administrative detainees who have been hospitalised under heavy security, there are some 100 additional detainees on a hunger strike, but they have not been hospitalised yet as their strike hasn’t passed the 35 day mark,” Ynet added.

Some 120 prisoners announced that they started a hunger strike in solidarity with the other detainees.

A spokesperson for Hamas said from his prison cell, on condition of anonymity for security reasons, that “on Monday all Hamas members [in Israeli prisons] will start an open hunger strike”.

Hamas prisoners were supposed to start a hunger strike last Thursday but the movement postponed the strike to Monday so as to increase coordination among prisoners.

The number of Hamas’ prisoners who will go on hunger strike is 1,500, according to previous statements.

Some 170 administrative prisoners in Israeli prisons have been on the hunger strike for 40 days now in protest to the policy of administrative detention. They were joined by a number of other prisoners.

The prisoners demanded dialogue is started with the Israeli government.

Administrative detention is the decision of arrest without a trial for a period ranging between one to six months, and is renewed continuously for some prisoners. Israel claims that there is a secret “security file” for each administrative detainee.

There are 5,271 Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails, 191 of whom are administrative detainee, according to Palestinian Prisoners Club.