Mohamed Ameen Dabhelia – 2016-07-25

The Palestinian Committee of Prisoners’ Affairs say at least 48 Palestinian prisoners are taking part in an open hunger strike against Israel’s detention of Palestinians without charge or trial.

The protest is in support of hunger-striking prisoners Bilal Kayid and brother’s Muhammad and Mahmud al-Balboul.

The al-Balboul brothers were detained on June 9 from Bethlehem, just two months after their 14-year-old sister Nuran was detained after attempting to cross Israel’s 300 checkpoint between northern Bethlehem and Jerusalem for allegedly possessing a knife, an accusation that locals denied.

Solidarity hunger strikes are continuing to put pressure on the Israeli prison administration and government to comply with the demands of the striking prisoners and to end Israel’s controversial policy of administrative detention

Head of the committee Issa Qaraqe has called for wide-scale action in all Palestinian cities to support the hunger-strikers.

“The mission of the hunger-strikers is to assist the Palestinian people by putting an end to Israel’s internationally condemned policy of administrative detention.”

Qaraqe stressed that administrative detention violates international laws and humanitarian conventions.”

Prisoners’ rights group Addameer says close to 7 000 Palestinians are being held by Israel as of May this year.