Detainees on hunger strike to end confinement of Abu Sisi

Eight Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody have launched hunger strike action to end the solitary confinement of jailed Gaza engineer Dirar Abu Sisi. Karim Ajwah, who represents the Palestinian Authority ministry of detainee affairs, told Ma'an that Issam Barghouthi, Uday Salim, Iyad al-Bao, Mahmoud Abdul-Latif, Uday Sunuqrut, Muath Masalmah, Anis Dweik and Fadi Nimnim launched hunger strike action on August 25 to protest Abu Sisi's solitary confinement. All eight hunger strikers have been moved to Ashkelon prison, where they are now in isolation cells, Ajwah said. They have also been denied access to meet with prisoner representatives. Abu Sisi, an engineer who was former technical director at Gaza's sole electricity plant, disappeared from a train in Ukraine in February 2011. Israel later announced it was holding him. According to the PA ministry, Abu Sisi has spent his entire detention in solitary confinement. According to a summary of charges by Israel, Abu Sisi is on trial for "activity in a terrorist organization, hundreds of counts of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and arms production offenses" as a member of Hamas.