RAMALLAH, July 2, 2011 (WAFA) – About 7000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails will go on a one-day hunger strike on Sunday to protest harsh and inhuman Israeli measures against them, according to a statement issued by the prisoners.

It said the strike will be the beginning of a fight to defend prisoners’ rights and dignity against unprecedented Israeli attacks.

The prisoners called on Palestinian and human rights organizations to support their step and to back their fight against their oppressors.

Minister of Prisoners Issa Qaraqe said the prisoners in Asqalan jail in the south of Israel began Friday a three-day hunger strike to protest the Israeli prison administration's escalation in arbitrary measures against them and raids on their cells.

He said that the Israeli attacks came within an extremely cruel policy announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to oppress prisoners and deny them their basic human rights by imposing individual and collective punishment against the prisoners.

He said the prison administrations have ordered raids at prisoners’ rooms and forced them to take off their clothes while searching their rooms and tampering with their contents under the premise of security inspection.

In his June 24 speech, Netanyahu called for harsh treatment against Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails leading the prison administrations to escalate repressive measures against them including preventing prisoners from buying from the prison canteen and stopping outreach prisoners’ educations.

As a result of this escalation, the prisoners declared a one-day hunger strike on Sunday and the Asqalan prisoners a three-day hunger strike to protest the inhuman Israeli measures leaving the door open for further action if Israel does not improve its policy toward them.

M.H./M.A.