RAMALLAH, April 23, 2017 (WAFA) – At least 40 Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli prison of “Megiddo” have joined the prisoners’ open-ended mass hunger strike, said the strikers Media Committee of “Freedom and Dignity”.

The number of prisoners in Megiddo jail who joined the mass hunger strike has reached 40; 36 prisoners joined in the hunger strike on Sunday, whereas the remaining six joined in on Thursday and were immediately isolated by the prison’s administration, said the Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission lawyer following a visit to Megiddo.

The strikers “Freedom and Dignity” committee said the prison administration prevented the lawyer from visiting the hunger strikers.

The mass hunger strike launched by more than 1500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails has entered its seventh day on Sunday.

Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails embarked on a mass hunger strike on Monday, April 17 to protest the difficult humanitarian conditions in Israeli jails. The strikers aim at restoring many of their rights that were taken away by the occupation prisons administration, which they had achieved through many past strikes.

The prisoners are demanding to be moved to prisons in the occupied territories as per the Fourth Geneva Convention, which would make it easier for their families to visit them, as well as lifting restrictions on family visits and better treatment at military checkpoints, along with other demands.

K.T./T.R.