Palestinian prisoners plan hunger strikes to protest Israeli decision to cut family visits

JERUSALEM - Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons announced on Sunday that they would stage a hunger strike to protest a decision to cut the frequency of their family visits.

The hunger strike, which will start on Thursday, demands a reversal of the decision by Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to reduce family visits from once a month to once every two months, according to the Supreme Emergency Committee of the Prisoner National Movement.

The Israel Prison Service said in a statement that its chief, Katy Perry, has "received" Minister Ben-Gvir's instructions, but did not specify when the new measure will be implemented. The service said that Perry "will work to conduct an organizational situation assessment in order to determine ways to implement them."

On Friday, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the measure may not be implemented. The office clarified that "no decision has yet been made" on the issue, and such a decision "will not be made until the special discussion on the matter, with the participation of all security bodies, which Prime Minister Netanyahu has scheduled for next week."

According to a July report from the United Nations Human Rights Council, there are approximately 5,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, including 160 children. Among these prisoners, approximately 1,100 have been detained without charge or trial. - XINHUA