Number of Palestinian hunger strikers inside Israel jails rises to 50

Palestinians gather to stage a demonstration in support of 2 Palestinian prisoners, who are in hunger strike in Israeli jail, in front of International Committee of the Red Cross building in Gaza City, Gaza on July 23, 2022. [Mustafa Hassona – Anadolu Agency]

The number of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike inside Israeli jails rose to 50 after 20 prisoners joined the open-ended hunger strike yesterday, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club (PPC) said.

According to the PPC, 30 prisoners have been on hunger for 16 days in protest of their unfair detention without charge or trial.

The PPC said 28 of the 30 hunger strikers had been placed in solitary confinement in the Israeli prison of Ofer since they started the hunger strike.

Last month, administrative detainees in Israeli prisons sent a message in which they stressed that fighting back against Israel’s use of administrative detention will continue.

They stated that the Israel Prison Services’ actions “are no longer governed by the security obsession as an actual driver of the occupation, but rather are acts of revenge due to their past.”

Israel has escalated its administrative detention policy against Palestinians as the number of administrative detainees currently exceeds 760, including minors, women and elderly.

According to the Prisoners’ Affairs Commission, 80 per cent of administrative detainees are former prisoners. Most spent long periods being held as administrative detentions.

READ: 900 Palestinians in Israeli jail refuse meals to support inmates on hunger strike

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