Palestinians in Israeli occupation prisons begin hunger strike

Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails threatened on Wednesday evening to launch a hunger strike in protest against the decision of the Israeli occupation authorities to close their purchase accounts from prison stores.

“The coming hours regarding the prisoners’ strike in Ofer prison are crucial,” Said Nahed al-Fakhouri, director of the Hamas-affiliated Prisoners’ Information Office, said in a statement.

“The outcome of the dialogue sessions with the Ofer prison administration until the moment is not positive , and the coming hours are crucial on the decision to enter the open hunger strike.”

“Hundreds of prisoners in Ofer are preparing to fight the battle of the  hunger strikes led by national dignitaries, sick prisoners and the elderly,” he said.

“If Ofer’s prisoners decide to go on strike, the prisoners in the rest of the prisons will not stand idly by and will be supported in their battle,” he added.

The Prisoners of Over’s prisoners aim through their anticipated battle to get important life requirements, and to confront the procedures of the prison administration that escalated with the actions associated with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic,”  the statement said.

For its part, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said in a statement, “The prisoners in five prisons, decided to get meals and close sections on Friday and Saturday, in protest against the occupation’s decision to close canteen for the prisoners’ purchases and return their transfer.”

The Prisoners’ Club warned of “the repercussions of the dangerous occupation decision, which affects the basic needs of prisoners, where prisoners rely more than 60% on the canteen to provide them with good food and other basic needs.”

On Tuesday, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club warned that conditions inside Israeli prisons could explode “unprecedentedly”, following the decision of the Israeli authorities to close the accounts of Palestinian prisoners’ purchases of prison shops.

“The occupation authorities have closed the financial account of the prisoners’ canteen, which means that the prisoners are unable to buy their food and their needs,” said Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club.

“The bank transfer was made to the prisoners’ account in the canteen on September 6, but it has not yet reached the Israeli company that supplies the cantons with the purchases, and it was found after a review of the transferred bank that the prisoners’ account had been closed,” Faris added

Israel holds some 4,500 Palestinian prisoners in its prisons, dozens of whom have spent decades in prisons, relying on prison shops to buy their needs.

The Palestinian Authority has been under considerable pressure, as it disbursed monthly benefits to prisoners, and Israel deducted the clearing money paid to them by the Palestinian Authority, which is tax money collected by Israel from the ports on behalf of the Palestinian Authority

E.M