Conflictprisoners Rights News

"Hamas Prisoners Threaten Hunger Strike in Protest of Conditions"

Around 1,000 Hamas prisoners held in Israeli jails have threatened to launch a mass hunger strike due to transfers of inmates and other limitations on their living conditions. The visit of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to Ofer Prison near Jerusalem was seen as provocative. Ben Gvir has been pressuring the Israel Prison Service to restrict Palestinian prisoners' freedoms. In response, Hamas conducted test launches of long-range rockets toward the sea in the Gaza Strip. The group blamed the Israeli government for the aggression against the prisoners and warned that the battle would extend beyond the prisons.