Palestinians in Israeli prisons to start escalating hunger strike

IMEMC – Palestinian Detainees imprisoned in four Israeli detention facilities held a hunger strike on Saturday, as part of the gradually escalating hunger strike demanding the prison administration to release several detainees from solitary confinement.

The strike will be held twice each week, and will be gradually escalating until the Israeli Prison Administration (IPS) fulfills their demands. [Israel is holding approximately 6,000 Palestinian prisoners..]

Riyadh Al Ashqar, Palestinian Minister of Detainees in Gaza, reported that the strike started on four detention facilities, and added that 2000 detainees are currently holding hunger strike in Eshil, Ramon, Asqalan and Nafha, demanding Israel to improve the living conditions in its detention centers and to stop its violations against the detainees.

The IPS recently decided to deprive the detainees in Ramon from their visitation rights for one month, and reduced the hours reduced the “break” time, where the detainees are allowed into the prison yard, from three hours to only one hour.

The IPS also closed the detainees’ kitchen and transformed room number 63 to a solitary cell; any detainee who is sent to this room is automatically deprived from visitation rights for two months.

The Ministry called of the residents to hold protests in solidarity with the detainees and called on media agencies to highlight the strike and the ongoing violations against the detainees.