JERUSALEM: Israel hospitalised 40 hunger-striking Palestinian detainees this week as their fast entered a second month, the spokeswoman of Israel’s Prison Authority said yesterday. In all, some 240 detainees are on a hunger strike.
The condition of those hospitalised is “reasonable,” said spokeswoman Sivan Weizman, but did not elaborate.
Advocates for the prisoners said their health was deteriorating.
The advocacy group Addameer visited five hunger strikers in Israel’s Ramle Prison last week and said they were weak and barely able to move.
Issa Karakeh, the Palestinian minister for prisoner affairs, told a news conference yesterday that some of the hunger-strikers were in serious danger.
The prisoners demand their release and the halt of open-ended “administrative detention,” which allows Israel to hold people without charge or trial.
The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem said that as of April, 191 Palestinians were in administrative detention. Overall, Israel is holding more than 5,000 Palestinians convicted or accused of anti-Israeli activity.
AP
