Palestinian prisoners remain in weeks-long hunger strike against administrative detention

Several Palestinians imprisoned by Israel remain in an open-ended hunger strike against their continued administrative detention, the Palestinian Prisoner's Society (PPS) said on Saturday.

Administrative detainees are held without charge or trial by Israel for indefinitely renewable periods of three to six months.

Among those on strike are Kayed al-Fasfous and Sultan Khlouf, who have been on hunger strike for 24 days, according to the PPS. The group also named detainee Osama Darkouk, who has been on strike for 20 days, as well as Mohammad Taysir Zakarneh, Anas Kmail, Abdelrahman Baraka and Zuhdi Abdo, who have been refusing food for 17 days.

Israel is holding at least 1,201 Palestinians under administrative detention without charge or trial – the highest number since human rights groups began collecting monthly data in 2001, according to Israeli Prison Service data obtained by rights group HaMoked.

Those held under the controversial practice include former prisoners, women, children, elderly and sick Palestinians, according to the PPC.

"Administrative detention is supposed to be an exceptional measure, but Israel uses it extensively for Palestinians," Jessica Montell, executive director of HaMoked, was quoted by Haaretz as saying,

Earlier this month, the Palestinian Liberation Organization's (PLO) Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs urged the international community to act on Israel's practice of holding Palestinians indefinitely without charge.