Palestinian prisoners' hunger strike enters its 56th day

Palestinian administrative prisoners being held in Israeli jails continue their open hunger strike for the 56th day which has led to “deteriorating health conditions and threatens their lives”, the Palestinian Prisoners Club said yesterday.

The Director of the Club Abdul Aal Al-Anani said yesterday: “The administrative prisoners’ hunger strike has entered its 56th day, while the administrative detainee, Ayman Tabeish has been on a hunger strike for 111 days.”

Al-Anani told Al Ghad newspaper that “there are serious implications for the health status of prisoners on hunger strike, where 80 prisoners were transferred to eight Israeli hospitals, 20 of them have been referred to intensive care.”

He pointed out that “this indicates the sharp deterioration in their health, where the majority of them suffer from a sharp decrease in weight, muscle weakness and constant dizziness, resulted in several cases of loss of consciousness.

“The striking prisoners consume only water and salt to protest violations of their rights, where their hands and feet are handcuffed to their hospital beds from 8am until 8pm.”

Al-Anani said: “The occupation forces have not shown any step towards searching for solutions, instead it arrested 300 new prisoners since last Thursday, including 51 prisoners who were freed under the Shalit prisoners exchange deal.”

In 2011 Hamas reached, through an Egyptian and German mediator, a deal with Israel which stipulates the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in exchange for the release of the Israeli captive soldier Gilad Shalit who was captured in 2006.

Al-Anani noted that “the occupation forces arrested 22 members of parliament in the Palestinian Legislative Council while the majority of detainees were transferred to administrative detention which demonstrates its quest to enshrine administrative detention instead of searching for solutions to respond to the hunger striking prisoners’ fair demands.”