PA holds Israel responsible for lives of Palestinian prisoners

The Palestinian Authority today held Israel fully responsibility for the lives of the Palestinian hunger striking prisoners being held in Israeli jails, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

In an interview with Wafa, PA spokesperson, Tareq Reshmawi, slammed the occupation’s detention of thousands of Palestinians, including children, women and sick prisoners, calling on the international community to stop Israel’s crimes, which he said “seriously violates all international laws.”

Reshmawi also pointed to an Israeli incitement campaign against the prisoners, calling on Palestinians to unite in order to “help achieve the demands of the hunger strikers”.

Read: Jailed Palestinian lawmaker urges MPs worldwide to back hunger strike

Israel currently holds more than 6,500 Palestinians in jails, dozens of whom have spent more than 20 years in detention.

Some 1,560 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel today entered the fourteenth day of an open-ended hunger strike, known as “Freedom and Dignity Strike”, demanding better conditions such as medical treatment, family visitation rights and an end to administrative detentions.

The Strike Support Committee stressed that the health of most of the strikers has been “seriously” deteriorating. Yesterday, the committee declared preliminary efforts to start negotiations between hunger strikers and the Israel Prison Service (IPS).