RAMALLAH, September 20, 2015 (WAFA) – Seven Palestinian administrative detainees in Israeli jails have started an open-ended hunger strike in solidarity with five other detainees who have been protesting against detention without charge or trial, according to the Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs (CPA).

The seven detainees were identified as Moath Abu-Nassar, Udai Byoumi, Mohammad Hawarin, Motasem Raqban, Ahmad Adawi, Ashraf Zaghari, and Hassan Zaghari.

The commission said other political prisoners in Israeli jails also threatened to join the hunger strike in case Israel fails to meet the demands of hunger strikers’ to end the practice of administrative detention, where a detainee is detained in jail without charge or trial.

According to the commission, the five hunger striking administrative detainees – Nedal Abu ‘Akr, Shadi Ma‘ali, Ghassan Zawahra, Bader al-Ruzza, and Munir Abu Sharar – who have been on hunger strike since August 20 have so far been denied access to hospital, despite of a noticeable deterioration in their health.

The commission warned of an inevitable outbreak in the situation in Israeli prisons, given Israel’s disregard to the hunger strikers’ healthcare.

Under administrative detention rules, Israel may detain Palestinians without charge or trial and on the basis of secret evidence for up to six months, indefinitely renewable by Israeli military courts.

Many human rights groups have accused Israel of using administrative detention as a routine form of collective punishment against Palestinians, as well as using it when failing to obtain confessions during interrogation.

There are around 500 detainees serving administrative detention in several Israeli jails.

Palestinian detainees have continuously resorted to open-ended hunger strikes as a way to protest their illegal administrative detention and to demand an end to this policy, which violates international law.

M.N/M.H