RAMALLAH, Thirty Palestinians held in administrative detention in Israel for their political activism without charge or trial have entered their second week of hunger strike in protest against their incarceration and demanding their freedom, according to the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS).

It said that the Israel Prison Services (IPS) punished 28 of the hunger strikers by isolating them in four cells at Ofer military and detention camp near Ramallah while one prisoner, Salah Hammouri, was placed in solitary confinement in Hadarim prison in the north of Israel, and another, Ghassan Zawahreh, was taken to isolation in al-Naqab desert prison in the south.

In addition to isolation, the IPS carry out other punishments including denial of family visits, stripping the detainees of their personal belongings, moving them arbitrarily from one prison to another, abusing them, and undergoing psychological pressure.

The PPS said that there is a chance more administrative detainees will join the hunger strike if the Israeli occupation authorities continue with this illegal policy of holding activists without charge or trial and for very long periods.

There are currently more than 780 Palestinians held in administrative detention, including six minors and two women, said the PPS, adding that Israel issued 9500 administrative detention orders against Palestinians since 2015 until today, of which 1385 were issued since the start of this year, while the highest number was in August and reached 272 orders.

The PPS said 400 Palestinian prisoners went on hunger strike since 2011 until now, most of them were administrative detainees who went on hunger strike in protest against their long detention without charge or trial and most of them were able to regain their freedom after going on hunger strike, some after more than 100 days.

Source: Palestine News & Info Agency