Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike to call for an end to human rights abuses in Israeli prisons.

April 28 marks the 12th day of an open-ended hunger strike by 1,500 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.

The prisoners are demanding basic human rights, denied to them by Israeli law. Their demands include full access to medical care, an end to abuse, an increase in the number and duration of family visits and access to legal counselling, all of which are supported by International Human Rights Laws. The prisoners are also calling for access to the courts and an end to solitary confinement and administrative detention.

Israeli prisons are currently holding more than 6,500 Palestinian Political prisoners including 300 children. More than 500 prisoners are under administrative detention. Around 900 prisoners suffer from physical/chronic illnesses and are in dire need of medical treatment.

Pengon/Friends of the Earth Palestine calls upon the International Community to hold Israel accountable for the inhumane treatment of prisoners and to follow International and Humanitarian Laws, namely the Fourth Geneva Convention and the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.

Pengon/Friends of the Earth Palestine calls for:

• The immediate release of sick detainees, particularly those with disabilities and diseases,
• The International Community to bring the issue of the Palestinian prisoners to the InternationalCriminal Court, the UN Human Rights Council, and the United Nations, in order to hold Israel accountable for the violations perpetrated against Palestinian prisoners.