Palestinian prisoners start mass hunger strike demanding better conditions

(QNN) – Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails have started on Tuesday an open hunger strike, demanding better detention conditions.

The prisoners named their battle Dignity Strike, which is the second mass hunger strike to hold the same title.

The head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office, Nahed al-Fakhouri, told Quds News Network that the prisoners started their second Dignity Strike to demand their legitimate rights.

“The prisoners had been negotiating many issues with the Israeli Prison Service for the last two days, but the Israeli officers changed their minds about the understandings in the last moments,” al-Fakhouri said.

“The prisoners negotiated for hours and a number of issues were resolved. An agreement was expected to be signed even though several demands were postponed. However, the Israeli Prison Service retreated and rejected all the demands, which led to the explosion of conditions,” he added.

The Palestinian prisoners said they felt the Israeli Prison Service meant to waste time to keep the light shed on the Israeli elections on Tuesday.

The demands of Palestinian prisoners include the provision of a TV and a telephone in the prisons just like the world’s prisons, removing the recently-installed cancer-causing jamming devices which have caused severe headaches and fainting among the prisoners, and stopping the intensive and violent raidings of the prisoners’ cells, which resulted in the injury of several prisoners by the Israeli bullets, tear-gas, or police dogs.

The Dignity Strike, which was planned to begin on Monday if not for the retreat of the Israeli jailors, will be divided into three stages. The first batch has started the strike on April 9, the second batch on April 11, the third on April 13, and the fourth on April 17, which will marck the Palestinian prisoners’ day. The strike will continue until the prisoners demands are met.