°®Âþµº

will begin a mass hunger strike on Thursday, protesting the punitive measures imposed by the Israeli jails authority after six Palestinians escaped the high security IsraeliÌýGilboa prison almost aÌýyear ago.

Ìýbut wasÌýsuspendedÌýon the eve of its launch, following an agreement with Israeli authorities to revoke the punitive measures.

Earlier in August, the prisoners'Ìýleadership between jails, especially on Palestinians serving high sentences.

🚨 🚨 Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement intended to initiate a mass collective open hunger strike, set to begin tomorrow 1 Sep, in protest of Israeli Prison Services’ reinstitution of collective and punitive measures.

📖 Read Full News Report

— Addameer –الضمير (@Addameer)

On Wednesday the Palestinian Prisoners'ÌýClub announced that the strike will be launched byÌý1,200 Palestinian prisoners, to be progressively joined by more prisoners as the strike goes on, after.

"Prisoners will officially begin theirÌýhunger strike on Thursday afternoonÌýand hand the strike declaration to the prison administration in each Israeli jail duringÌýthe evening count," Amani Sarahneh, spokesperson for the Palestinian Prisoners'ÌýClub, told °®Âþµº.

"The main demand is to end the punitive constant transfer of Ìýprisoners between jails, which takes away the prisoners'Ìýcapacity to have a group life,Ìýand impacts organisational chances of prisoners," Sarahneh explained.

"the suspension of how Israel treatsÌý"highly dangerous prisoners", like constant shackling of hands and feetÌýand permanent isolation,"Ìýshe added. "As of now, there are 38 Palestinian prisoners in solitary confinement, ."Ìý

As many as 1,200 Palestinian prisoners held by Israeli regime will start a mass hunger strike tomorrow in protest at the occupation's violence and repressive policies which deprive them of their most basic rights.

— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng)

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem and the besieged Gaza Strip launchedÌýprotests last Monday in support of prisoners.

Marches and vigils have been held in Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin and Toubas since Monday. On Tuesday, dozens of Palestinians held a sit-in in front of the International Red Cross Committee offices in RamallahÌýand on Wednesday Palestinians marched in Qalqilya.

In Ramallah, held pictures of their beloved ones in Israeli jails and chanted slogans in support of the Palestinian prisoners'Ìýmovement, demanding international pressure on Israel to respond to the prisoners'Ìýdemands.

"This hunger strike is very important because Palestinian prisoners are saying to the whole world that they need to get back their dignity and their rights," the wife of Palestinian prisoner Nael Barghouthi told °®Âþµº at the protest, as she heldÌýa picture of her husband.

Barghouthi served 34 years in Israeli jails before he wasÌýreleased through aÌý in 2011.

He was then re-arrested two years later after a speech he gave at . An Israeli military court sentenced him toÌýtwo years in prisonÌýand later reactivatedÌýhis previous sentencing of life in prison.

"This strike aims at breaking decisions that violateÌýprisoners'Ìýrights," Ameen Shouman, the head of the Palestinian Commission for Prisoners'ÌýAffairs, told °®Âþµº.

"All efforts are required by Palestinians and all those who support the Palestinian cause, to make this strike as short as possible, and restore the rights of Palestinian prisoners in the occupation prisons," he added.

On Wednesday, almost 24 hours before theÌýmass hunger strike began, , a 47-year-old Palestinian detainee without charges, after six months of a hunger strike he carried out to protestÌýhis detention.

According to the Israeli written commitment, Awawdeh will be released on 2 October.

AwawdehÌýended his hunger strike following the agreement, taking his first cup of tea in months in front of the press cameras., allowing him to receive visits at the Israeli Asaf Harofeh hospital,Ìýearlier in August.

"Although Khalil is happy for this victory, ,"ÌýDalal Awawdeh, his wife, told °®Âþµº.

"They have been sixÌývery difficult months for me and the children, full of anguish, expecting to hear the news of his death at any moment," she described. "Khalil will remain in the hospital until he can walk again, and God willing he will be among us in October."

Awawdeh, on hunger strike for 180 days resisting Zionist colonialism, has a message to the world, to take action to free the Palestinian prisoners and end administrative detention!

— Samidoun Network (@SamidounPP)

Palestinian prisoners have repeatedly staged hunger strikes to push back against .

The most significant Palestinian mass hunger strikes in recent years are the hunger strike in 2012 when around 1,500 .

Prisoners then protested against the isolation of dozens of them under the ", passed after the release of some 1000 Palestinians from Israeli jails in exchange for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit from Gaza.

In 2014, 220 went on hunger strike for 63 days, with many of them being hospitalised due to a deterioration in their health. The detainees protested against their detention without charges. The strike ended after Israel agreed to revoke punitive measures.

started by Palestinian prisoner and leader Marwan BarghouthiÌýto protest the Israeli decision to take away several rights that had been previously gained concerning detention conditions. The strike lasted 41 days.

Since 1967, Israel has arrested near to one million Palestinians, representing one third of the male population of the Palestinian territories, , impacting all sectors of their society.

Currently, about, including 27 women, 175 children and 670 administrative detainees without charges.