GAZA/RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli jails began a hunger strike on Monday in response to a call by prominent prisoner Marwan Barghouti, widely seen as a possible future Palestinian president.

Israeli forces take position during clashes with Palestinian protesters following a protest in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem April 17, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Palestinians termed the open-ended strike a protest against poor conditions and an Israeli policy of detention without trial that has been applied against thousands since the 1980s.

Israel said the move by the prisoners, many of whom were convicted of attacks or planning attacks against Israel, was politically motivated.

The protest was led by Barghouti, 58, a leader of the mainstream Fatah movement of the Palestine Liberation Organization, serving five life terms after being convicted of murder in the killing of Israelis in a 2000-2005 uprising.

The strike, if sustained, could present a challenge to Israel and raise tensions between the two sides as the 50th anniversary of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip approaches in June.

Israeli troops and settlers pulled out of the Gaza Strip, now run by Hamas Islamists, in 2005, but peace talks on the creation of a Palestinian state collapsed with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2014.

In an opinion piece in the New York Times on Monday, Barghouti said a strike was the only way to gain concessions after other options had failed.

“Through our hunger strike, we seek an end to these abuses ... Palestinian prisoners and detainees have suffered from torture, inhumane and degrading treatment and medical negligence. Some have been killed while in detention,” he wrote.

Israeli and Palestinian media reports said Barghouti had been moved from the prison where he was being held in central Israel to another in the north and was isolated from other prisoners. The Prisons Service did not initially comment on his status.

FIELD HOSPITAL

Israel denies Palestinian inmates are mistreated, and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said the Barghouti-led protest was “prompted by internal Palestinian politics and therefore includes unreasonable demands”.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement: “The Palestinian prisoners are not political prisoners. They are convicted terrorists and murderers. They were brought to justice and are treated properly under international law.”

Palestinian officials said some 1,500 inmates affiliated with all political factions including rival Fatah and Hamas were taking part in the protest. An Israel Prisons Service spokesman said some 1,100 inmates at eight jails had joined the strike.

Almost 6,500 Palestinians are being held in 22 Israeli prisons, said Qadoura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club that advocates on behalf of the inmates.

The Prisoners’ Club said a main demand was for Israel to halt detention without trial for some 500 Palestinians currently being held, and for an end to solitary confinement.

The strikers also want better medical treatment and that disabled inmates or those suffering chronic illness be freed, access to more television channels and more phone contact with relatives and more family visits.

The strike prompted a large rally in Gaza and a protest broke out near the occupied West Bank town of Bethlehem where Palestinian demonstrators clashed with Israeli forces.

Slideshow (13 Images)

Palestinians consider brethren held in Israeli jails as national heroes. Long-term mass hunger strikes by Palestinian prisoners are rare, but in past cases of individual inmates who stopped eating for weeks, detention terms were shortened or not renewed after they were hospitalized in critical condition.

Erdan said a field hospital would be erected next to one prison - an apparent move to pre-empt transfers to civilian medical facilities, which could draw wider media attention.

Abbas, 82, said in a statement that efforts would continue to secure prisoners’ freedom. He condemned what he called Israel’s intransigence in the face of “fair” prisoner demands.</s>By AFP - Apr 18,2017 - Last updated at Apr 18,2017

Protesters hold portraits of Palestinian prisoners during a rally in the West Bank city of Ramallah to show their support to Palestinians detained in Israeli jails after hundreds of them launched a hunger strike on Monday (AFP photo)

RAMALLAH — Hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli jails launched a hunger strike Monday following a call from leader and prominent prisoner Marwan Barghouthi, a movement that could mark a serious challenge to Israeli authorities if sustained.

The hunger strike was called for in connection with Palestinian Prisoners Day, observed annually, but also ahead of commemorations this summer marking 50 years since the 1967 Six Day War and the start of Israel's occupation.

Hunger strikes by Palestinian prisoners occur regularly, but rarely on such a large scale.

A series of protests were also held in Palestinian cities in connection with Prisoners Day, including one in Bethlehem that led to clashes with Israeli forces.

Barghouthi's call for the strike has given it added credibility, with the 57-year-old serving five life sentences over his role in the violent second Palestinian Intifada.

He is a popular figure among Palestinians, with polls suggesting he could win the Palestinian presidency.

Graffiti showing the iconic image of his cuffed hands raised above his head flashing a peace sign while being led away by Israeli authorities can be seen in the West Bank.

“Decades of experience have proved that Israel’s inhumane system of colonial and military occupation aims to break the spirit of prisoners and the nation to which they belong, by inflicting suffering on their bodies, separating them from their families and communities, using humiliating measures to compel subjugation,” Barghouthi wrote in a New York Times op-ed.

“In spite of such treatment, we will not surrender to it.”

Issa Qaraqe, head of prisoners affairs for the Palestinian Authority, said that “around 1,300 Palestinian prisoners were participating in the hunger strike and the number could rise.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club NGO put the number at 1,500.

Israeli prison service spokesman Assaf Librati said that some 1,100 detainees had announced their intention to begin a hunger strike across several prisons.

“The prisons service has started taking disciplinary measures against the strikers and in addition a number of prisoners have been transferred to separate wings,” he said.

“It is to be emphasised that the [prison service] does not negotiate with prisoners.”

Some 6,500 Palestinians are currently detained by Israel for a range of offences and alleged crimes.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a statement carried by official news agency WAFA, “called on the international community to save the life of the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails”.

Barghouthi’s wife Fadwa told AFP at a demonstration in Ramallah that prisoners’ demands were in line with “international law and recognised as part of human rights”.

The last large-scale hunger strike was in February 2013, when 3,000 Palestinians refused to eat for one day to protest against the death of a fellow detainee.

While many Palestinians view Barghouthi as a hero, Israelis point to the bloody suicide attacks of the second intifada and his role in the uprising.

For Palestinians, the prisons have become a stark symbol of Israel’s occupation.

Those on hunger strike have issued a list of demands, including access to phones, extended visiting rights and better medical service.

Israeli public radio reported that Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan has ordered intervention units to be put on standby and that a field hospital be set up outside one prison to avoid having to take sick prisoners to civilian hospitals.

It quoted Erdan as saying that the demands regarding prisoners’ conditions were unreasonable.

Some Israeli analysts have sought to highlight the rivalry between Barghouthi and Abbas within their Fateh Party, suggesting his call for a hunger strike was also related to internal politics.

Abbas made no mention of Barghouthi in his statement on WAFA.

Talk of who will succeed Abbas has intensified, but the 82-year-old has shown no sign of stepping down and a recent Fateh congress saw him shore up his base of support and sideline rivals.

He has not publicly designated a successor.

Of the 6,500 Palestinian detainees, 62 are women and 300 are minors. Some 500 are held under administrative detention, which allows for imprisonment without charges or trial.

Thirteen Palestinian lawmakers are also among the detainees.

Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts have been at a standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed three years ago.</s>Marwan Barghouti, pictured during his 2003 trial, has called for a widespread hunger strike for Palestinians in Israeli jails (AFP Photo/TAL COHEN)

Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli jails launched a hunger strike Monday following a call from leader and prominent prisoner Marwan Barghouti, a movement that could mark a serious challenge to Israeli authorities if sustained.

The hunger strike was called in connection with Palestinian Prisoners Day, observed annually, but also ahead of commemorations this summer marking 50 years since the 1967 Six-Day War and the start of Israel's occupation.

Israel Prisons Service spokesman Assaf Librati said that hunger strikers would be disciplined and later added that Barghouti had been transferred from Hadarim prison to Jalami prison, near Haifa, 48 kilometres (30 miles) to the north.

Qaddura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners' Club which tracks the well-being of Palestinians in Israeli jails, said Barghouti had been placed in solitary confinement, but Librati did not confirm that.

Hunger strikes by Palestinian prisoners occur regularly, but rarely on such a large scale.

Protests were also held in Palestinian cities in connection with Prisoners Day, including one in Bethlehem that led to clashes with Israeli forces.

Barghouti's call for the strike has given it added credibility, with the 57-year-old serving five life sentences over his role in the violent second Palestinian intifada.

He is popular among Palestinians, with polls suggesting he could win the Palestinian presidency.

Graffiti showing the iconic image of his cuffed hands raised above his head flashing a peace sign while being led away by Israeli authorities can be seen in the West Bank.

"Decades of experience have proved that Israel's inhumane system of colonial and military occupation aims to break the spirit of prisoners and the nation to which they belong, by inflicting suffering on their bodies, separating them from their families and communities, using humiliating measures to compel subjugation," Barghouti wrote in a New York Times op-ed.

"In spite of such treatment, we will not surrender to it."

Issa Qaraqe, head of prisoner affairs for the Palestinian Authority, said that "around 1,300 Palestinian prisoners" were on hunger strike and the number could rise.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Club NGO put the number at 1,500.

Librati said that some 1,100 detainees in several prisons had announced their intention to go on hunger strike.

"The prisons service has started taking disciplinary measures against the strikers and in addition a number of prisoners have been transferred to separate wings," he said.

"It is to be emphasised that the (prison service) does not negotiate with prisoners."

Some 6,500 Palestinians are currently detained by Israel for a range of offences and alleged crimes.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, in a statement carried by official news agency WAFA, "called on the international community to save the life of the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails".

Barghouti's wife Fadwa told AFP at a demonstration in Ramallah that prisoners' demands were in line with "international law and recognised as part of human rights".

The last large-scale hunger strike was in February 2013, when 3,000 Palestinians refused to eat for one day in protest at the death of a fellow detainee.

Israel says it must be vigilant to prevent fresh violence, particularly following a wave of knife, gun and car-ramming attacks that erupted in October 2015.

Such incidents have greatly subsided in recent months.

While many Palestinians view Barghouti as a hero, Israelis point to the bloody suicide attacks of the second intifada and his role in the uprising.

For Palestinians, the prisons have become a stark symbol of Israel's occupation.

Those on hunger strike have issued a list of demands, including access to phones, extended visiting rights and better medical care.

Israeli public radio reported that Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan has ordered intervention units to be put on standby and a field hospital to be set up outside one prison to avoid having to take sick prisoners to civilian hospitals.

It quoted Erdan as saying that the demands regarding prisoners' conditions were unreasonable.

Some Israeli analysts have sought to highlight the rivalry between Barghouti and Abbas within their Fatah party, suggesting his call for a hunger strike was also related to internal politics.

Abbas made no mention of Barghouti in his statement on WAFA. Talk of who will succeed Abbas has intensified, but the 82-year-old has shown no sign of stepping down and a recent Fatah congress saw him shore up his support base and sideline rivals. He has not publicly designated a successor. Of the 6,500 Palestinian detainees, 62 are women and 300 are minors. Some 500 are held under administrative detention, which allows for imprisonment without charges or trial. Thirteen Palestinian lawmakers are also among the detainees. Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts have been at a standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed three years ago.</s>Hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli jails launched a hunger strike Monday following a call from leader and prominent prisoner Marwan Barghouti, a movement that could mark a serious challenge to Israeli authorities if sustained.

The hunger strike was called for in connection with Palestinian Prisoners Day, observed annually, but also ahead of commemorations this summer marking 50 years since the 1967 Six Day War and the start of Israel's occupation.

Hunger strikes by Palestinian prisoners occur regularly, but rarely on such a large scale.

Barghouti's call for the strike has given it added credibility, with the 57-year-old serving a life sentence over his role in the violent second Palestinian intifada.

He is a popular figure among Palestinians, with polls suggesting he could win the Palestinian presidency. Graffiti showing the iconic image of his cuffed hands raised above his head flashing a peace sign can be seen in the West Bank.

"Decades of experience have proved that Israel's inhumane system of colonial and military occupation aims to break the spirit of prisoners and the nation to which they belong, by inflicting suffering on their bodies, separating them from their families and communities, using humiliating measures to compel subjugation," Barghouti wrote in a New York Times op-ed.

"In spite of such treatment, we will not surrender to it."

Issa Qaraqe, head of prisoners affairs for the Palestinian Authority, said that "around 1,300 Palestinian prisoners" were participating in the hunger strike and the number could rise.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club NGO put the number at 1,500.

Israeli prison service spokesman Assaf Librati said that 700 prisoners had announced on Sunday their intention to begin a hunger strike.

"We are checking this morning to see the number of prisoners actually striking as some of them said they would only observe a symbolic protest strike and then resume eating afterwards," he said.

"There will be an update later."

Some 6,500 Palestinians are currently detained by Israel for a range of offences and alleged crimes.

Israel says it must be vigilant to prevent fresh eruptions of violence, particularly following a wave of knife, gun and car-ramming attacks that erupted in October 2015.

The violence has greatly subsided in recent months.

While many Palestinians view Barghouti as a hero, Israelis point to the bloody suicide attacks of the second intifada and his role in the uprising.

For Palestinians, the prisons have become a stark symbol of Israel's occupation.

Those on hunger strike have issued a list of demands, including access to phones, extended visiting rights and better medical service.

Israeli public radio reported that Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan has ordered intervention units to be put on standby and that a field hospital be set up outside one prison to avoid having to take sick prisoners to civilian hospitals.

It quoted Erdan as saying that the demands regarding prisoners' conditions were unreasonable.

Some Israeli analysts have sought to highlight the rivalry between Barghouti and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas within their Fatah party, suggesting his call for a hunger strike was also related to internal politics.

Of the 6,500 Palestinian detainees, 62 are women and 300 are minors. Some 500 are held under administrative detention, which allows for imprisonment without charges or trial.

Thirteen Palestinian lawmakers are also among the detainees.</s>Hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli jails began a hunger strike on Monday in response to a call by prominent prisoner Marwan Barghouti, widely seen as a possible future Palestinian president.

Palestinians termed the open-ended strike a protest against poor conditions and an Israeli policy of detention without trial that has been applied against thousands since the 1980s.

Israel said the move by the prisoners, many of whom were convicted of attacks or planning attacks against Israel, was politically motivated.

The protest was led by Barghouti, 58, a leader of the mainstream Fatah movement of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, serving five life terms after being convicted of murder in the killing of Israelis in a 2000-2005 uprising.

The strike, if sustained, could present a challenge to Israel and raise tensions between the two sides as the 50th anniversary of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip approaches in June.

Israeli troops and settlers pulled out of the Gaza Strip, now run by Hamas, in 2005, but peace talks on the creation of a Palestinian state collapsed with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2014.

In an opinion piece in the New York Times on Monday, Barghouti said a strike was the only way to gain concessions after other options had failed.

"Through our hunger strike, we seek an end to these abuses ... Palestinian prisoners and detainees have suffered from torture, inhumane and degrading treatment and medical negligence. Some have been killed while in detention," he wrote.

Israel denies Palestinian inmates are mistreated and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said the Barghouti-led protest was "prompted by internal Palestinian politics and therefore includes unreasonable demands".

Palestinian officials said some 1,500 inmates affiliated with all political factions including rival Fatah and Hamas were taking part in the protest. An Israel Prisons Service spokesman said some 1,100 inmates at eight jails had joined the strike.

Almost 6,500 Palestinians are being held in 22 Israeli prisons, said Qadoura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners' Club that advocates on behalf of the inmates.

The Prisoners' Club said a main demand was for Israel to halt detention without trial for some 500 Palestinians currently being held, and for an end to solitary confinement.

The strikers also want better medical treatment and that disabled inmates or those suffering chronic illness be freed, access to more television channels and more phone contact with relatives and more family visits.

The strike prompted a large rally in Gaza and a protest broke out near the occupied West Bank town of Bethlehem where Palestinian demonstrators clashed with Israeli forces.

Palestinians consider brethren held in Israeli jails as national heroes. Long-term mass hunger strikes by Palestinian prisoners are rare, but in past cases of individual inmates who stopped eating for weeks, detention terms were shortened or not renewed after they were hospitalised in critical condition.

Erdan said a field hospital would be erected next to one prison - an apparent move to pre-empt transfers to civilian medical facilities, which could draw wider media attention.

Abbas, 82, said in a statement that efforts would continue to secure prisoners' freedom. He condemned what he called Israel's intransigence in the face of "fair" prisoner demands.</s>Prominent prisoner Marwan Barghouti is leading a hunger strike of Palestinians in Israeli jails (AFP Photo/ABBAS MOMANI)

Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli jails launched a hunger strike on Monday following a call from leader and prominent prisoner Marwan Barghouti, a Palestinian Authority official said.

Issa Qaraqe, head of prisoners affairs for the Palestinian Authority, said that "around 1,300 Palestinian prisoners" were participating in the hunger strike and the number could rise.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club NGO put the number at 1,500.

Israeli prison service spokesman Assaf Librati said that 700 prisoners had announced on Sunday their intention to begin a hunger strike.

"We are checking this morning to see the number of prisoners actually striking as some of them said they would only observe a symbolic protest strike and then resume eating afterwards," he said.

"There will be an update later."

Barghouti is serving a life sentence over his role in the violent second Palestinian intifada. He is a popular figure, with polls suggesting he could win the Palestinian presidency.

The strike was called in connection with Palestinian Prisoners Day, which is observed annually.

Some 6,500 Palestinians are currently detained by Israel.</s>Demonstrators take part in a rally in support of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails, in Gaza City April 17, 2017. People walk past a poster depicting Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, in the West Bank city of Ramallah April 17, 2017.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Reuters.</s>Jerusalem (CNN) More than a thousand Palestinians in Israeli prisons launched a hunger strike Monday, demanding better living and medical conditions for approximately 6,500 prisoners.

Some 1,600 prisoners are taking part, Palestinian Authority Prisoners' Affairs Minister Issa Qaraqe said. More prisoners may join the hunger strike, which was planned to coincide with Palestinian Prisoners' Day, Qaraqe said.

Qaraqe urged Palestinians to support the strike and called on human rights organizations to press Israel about conditions in prisons.

The hunger strike is a way of "bringing prisoners closer to their basic rights and demands and preventing the occupation from harming the dignity of the Palestinian prisoners," he said in a statement.

A woman holds the portrait of a Palestinian prisoner during a rally in Ramallah Monday.

Palestinian leaders, including Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and Palestinian Liberation Organization Executive Committee Member Hanan Ashrawi, have backed the strike.

The hunger strikers' long list of demands includes an end to solitary confinement and administrative detention, a policy under which Israel holds prisoners without charge or trial.

Some 740 Palestinians are held in administrative detention, Qaraqe said. Prisoners are also demanding better medical care and extended visits with family.

This hunger strike is the largest Palestinian prisoners have ever launched, said Ghassan Khatib, a Palestinian politician and former vice president of Birzeit University. Palestinians have often resorted to hunger strikes, mostly to target administrative detentions.

In a letter penned by Barghouti and read Saturday by his wife, Fadwa, Barghouti accused Israel of detaining "thousands of Palestinians every year in a flagrant violation of international treaties and conventions."

He called Israel's military courts in the West Bank an "accomplice in the occupation's crimes through detentions, unjust court sentences, and torture."

A former leader of the Tanzim brigade -- the militant wing of the Fatah political party -- Barghouti was convicted in 2004 of five counts of murder, including orchestrating attacks against Israelis. He is serving multiple life sentences.

Despite -- or perhaps because of -- his prison sentence, Barghouti's popularity has grown among Palestinians, and he is one of the few Palestinian leaders with support from both Fatah, which governs the West Bank, and Hamas, which rules Gaza.

In Fatah's most recent conference, held in November, Barghouti was elected to the Fatah Central Committee and the Revolutionary Council, pulling in more votes than any other candidate. Given his prison sentence, both are symbolic gestures but are testament to his popularity.

Despite recurrent infighting between Palestinian factions, prisoners from multiple groups, including Hamas and the Palestinian People's Party, are also taking part in the hunger strike.

Israeli official: We don't negotiate with prisoners

A spokesman for the Israel Prison Service, Assaf Librati, said the prison service does not, as a rule, negotiate with prisoners.

The prison service has begun separating hunger strikers into separate cell blocks. Prisoners have so far declared strikes in eight Israeli prisons.

"Hunger strikers in prison endanger the health and life of the prisoners in custody of the state who is in charge of their well-being -- organized hunger strikers even more so," Librati said.

Librati estimated that 1,100 prisoners were participating in the strike, a number lower than that reported by the Palestinian Authority.

Authorities will set up a field hospital at the Ketziot prison in southern Israel to treat hunger strikers if needed, Librati said.

The move would allow Israel to sidestep civilian hospitals, which have so far refused to force-feed strikers, despite an Israeli law passed in July 2015 that legalizes the force-feeding of prisoners.

Responding to accusations of mistreatment in Israeli prisons, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon fired back.

"The Palestinian prisoners are not political prisoners," he said. "They are convicted terrorists and murderers. They were brought to justice and are treated properly under international law."</s>The Palestinian Center for Human Rights issued a release yesterday on the occasion of Palestinian Prisoner Day, which was marked this year with the launch of a mass hunger strike in Israeli jails to protest prisoners’ worsening conditions.

PCHR noted that over 6,500 Palestinian and Arab prisoners are detained in the Israeli jails as of today and under cruel and inhumane conditions.

According to the organization, the conditions of prisoners have worsened liked never before with violations against prisoners on the increase.

“These prisoners are regularly subject to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, including torture; denial of family visitation; naked search; night raids; solitary confinement; medical negligence; denial of education under a decision issued by the Israeli Prison Service on 20 July 2011; applying the force-feeding law against prisoners on hunger strike; in addition to other violations falling within the Israeli policy against Palestinian prisoners,” PCHR noted.

It further stated that, for this reason, Palestinian prisoners have resorted to their only choice: fighting with their empty stomachs to gain their basic rights.

“About 1,500 prisoners in a number of prisons and detention facilities has declared starting a hunger strike claiming a number of human demands, the most prominent of which are, inter alia, putting an end to the solitary confinement policy, offering medication to sick prisoners, constant communication with their families, ending arbitrary and degrading measures against female prisoners, receiving magazines and newspapers permanently and the right to education.”

PCHR drew attention “to the increasing violations committed against the Palestinian prisoners and the poor conditions under which they live in view of the Israeli authorities’ insistence to violate the rules of the international humanitarian law and principles of human rights to which Israel is a state party.”

PCHR concluded by demanding an immediate intervention to end the plight of Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails and to bring Israel accountable for its crimes against them.</s>Palestinian prisoners have gone on an open-ended hunger strike to protest the conditions in Israeli jails and to demand the allowance of what they call “basic rights.”

Around 1,500 Palestinian political prisoners from six jails in Israel have kicked off an open-ended hunger strike to protest the horrible jail conditions.. Hundreds of other civilians in solidarity with prisoners have taken to the streets to demand basic rights for the inmates and bring to light the difficult conditions people have to face when behind bars.

The strike coincides with Palestinian Prisoners Day, which is marked on April 17 every year. It is led by jailed Marwan Barghouti, a leader of the Fatah movement of the Palestine Liberation Organization, who is serving five life terms after being convicted of murder in the killing of Israelis in a 2000-2005 uprising.

People are expected to take to the streets of major Palestinian cities in the occupied territories including Ramallah, Hebron and Nablus to make their voices heard. Prisoners are demanding the installation of a public telephone, resuming bi-monthly family visits, allowing second-degree relatives to visit, increasing duration of the visits and allowing prisoners to take photographs with their families.

"On this day, we are reminded of the pain of imprisonment, the cruelty of the occupation and the injustice of the prison cells, as we are reminded of our pride in your steadfastness and sacrifice," said Rami Hamdallah, prime minister of the Palestinian Authority in a recorded video message on his Twitter page.

"In the midst of this battle I call on all the Palestinian people and national institutions to show more solidarity so we can deliver the message of the prisoners to the whole world. Let us all push for the largest international, popular and official movement to stand by the prisoners in this critical time,” he added.

According to Addameer, a Jerusalem-based prisoner rights group, there are currently 6,500 Palestinian political prisoners held by Israel. This includes 300 minors and more than 500 administrative detainees.

Many of these people’s medical requirements are neglected, and owing to this more than 50 Palestinian prisoners lost their lives in 1967, says the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.

The site further states that since 1967, 200 detainees have been martyred in prison due to “torture, medical negligence, being killed directly after detention or shot dead inside prison by soldiers and guards.”

"The Israeli government will be responsible for any and all of the consequences of this hunger strike - if a prisoner dies, or becomes extremely ill, they are the ones that will have to handle the outcome. Palestinian prisoners have been demanding these basic rights for years," said Amina al-Taweel, spokesperson for the Hebron-based Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies.
Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails — activists say up to 1,500 are participating — begin an open-ended hunger strike to protest poor conditions and the Israeli policy of detention without trial.