Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel went on a one-day hunger strike Thursday in solidarity with six mates who have been fasting for months.
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Prisoner' Club said in a statement that 360 prisoners in three Israeli jails have gone on the hunger strike, and that most of them are affiliated to Islamic Jihad movement.
All Palestinian prisoners in Israel, totaling up to some 4,500, will join the hunger strikers on Tuesday, the statement added.
The six prisoners who started fasting last year demand Israel either to convict or release them. They have been held for months in administrative detention, a tool Israel uses to detain prisoners without a trial and often based on secret evidences.
Two of the six prisoners, Ayman Al-Sharawneh and Samer Issawi, have been fasting since July and August respectively.
Eissa Qaraqe', Palestinian minister of prisoners' affairs, condemned "the shameful international silence" on the issue of the hunger strikers.
Front Page Features