Palestinian detainees held by Israel to launch mass hunger strike

Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails will launch an open-ended hunger strike starting on 25 March until their demands are met, a rights group revealed yesterday.

The Supreme National Emergency Committee for Palestinian Prisoners affirmed that the prisoners will be engaged in a mass hunger strike as Israeli prison authorities refuse to meet their demands, mainly to lift the newly-imposed punitive measures.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PSS) confirmed that Palestinian prisoners have already started to prepare for the collective hunger strike.

READ: Palestine prisoners in Israel’s jails threaten hunger strike 

Meanwhile, the PPS said that Israeli prison forces stormed Section 13 in Nafha prison in Beersheba yesterday.

Two prisoners were isolated in the section, the sources added.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Palestinian administrative detainees in Israeli jails have continued refusing to show up for their court sessions for more than two months.

Tensions have been running high in Israeli jails as Palestinian prisoners decided to escalate their protests since the start of the year, in rejection of the Israeli collective punitive measures declared after the Gilboa prison break.

Approximately 4,500 Palestinian prisoners are currently held in Israeli jails, including 34 women, 180 minors, and about 500 administrative detainees, who are held without charge or trial.