Israel Punishes Palestinian Hunger-Strikers [View all]

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By Jihan Abdalla | Reuters – 2 hrs 30 mins ago

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israel has taken measures against some 1,200 Palestinian prisoners on a hunger strike, denying them family visits and separating them from inmates not taking part in the protest, prison authorities said on Monday.

The open-ended strike, dubbed the "battle of empty stomachs" by organizers, began last Tuesday. The prisoners are demanding better jail conditions and for Israel to end detention without trial for Palestinians suspected of security offences.

"Privileges such as family visits have been revoked and items such as electronics have been confiscated," Sivan Weizman, a spokeswoman for the Israeli Prisons Authority, said.

Palestinian prisoners have long complained of the difficulty of securing family visits and the invasive searches visiting relatives have to go through.

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