UN alarm over conditions for Palestinian prisoners

The United Nations has called Israel to improve conditions for Palestinians in custody, expressing alarm over reports of “punitive measures by Israeli authorities” against hundreds of prisoners who are on hunger strike for nearly 40 days. More than 1,500 prisoners launched the action on April 17 to press for an end to administrative detention and […]

The United Nations has called Israel to improve conditions for Palestinians in custody, expressing alarm over reports of “punitive measures by Israeli authorities” against hundreds of prisoners who are on hunger strike for nearly 40 days.

More than 1,500 prisoners launched the action on April 17 to press for an end to administrative detention and solitary confinement, as well as longer and more regular family visits, landlines installed in prisons and better healthcare.

The protest has continued without resolution and the health of hundreds of participating prisoners has began to “deteriorate significantly,” Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said in a statement on Wednesday.