Palestinians continue hunger strike in Israeli jail

Four Palestinian imprisoned by the Israeli regime have refused to end their hunger strike, with reports suggesting severe health complications among them.

Sources said on Sunday that the four prisoners refused to stop the strike despite increasing pressure by Israeli prison authorities, saying they want their so-called administrative detention end immediately.

Sami Janazreh, 43, has been refusing to eat for two months now. He was recently transferred to hospital due to his deteriorating health condition. Israelis have moved Janazreh from one prison to another in a bid to force him to end his strike. On Friday, he was moved from solitary confinement at Israel’s Ela prison to Soroka hospital after his health deteriorated even further.

Two other prisoners have been on strike since nearly one month ago, demanding an end to their detention without charge or trial. One is Fuad Rabah Shukri Assi, 30, from Beit Liqya near Ramallah. He refused to halt his hunger strike on Saturday after Israelis announced that his administrative detention was extended for another six months.

Another one is Muhammad Jamal Mafarja, 28, also from Beit Liqya. He started a hunger strike one month now ago. Mafarja has been in administrative detention for more than 16 months.

Meanwhile, a fourth Palestinian prisoner, identified as Majdi Safwat Yasin, 33, began his hunger strike eight days ago in protest at his indefinite detention. The Swedish national is a lawyer from the village of Anin near Jenin.

Officials say 700 Palestinians are being held in administrative detention which allows Tel Aviv to jail them without charge or trial indefinitely. Rights groups have condemned the detention as a grave violation of human rights and contravening international law.

Hunger strikes by Palestinians are a form of protest to their arbitrary arrest and detention by Israelis. Muhammad al-Qiq, a Palestinian journalist, was close to dying earlier this year after more than a 90-day strike.

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