Nabil Shaath visits Ministry of Prisoners for talks

Fatah official Nabil Shaath on Sunday visited the Ministry of Prisoners for talks with Issa Qaraqe, a statement said. The Fatah official discussed the ongoing hunger strike by several prisoners, as well as the details of an upcoming candle convoy which will sail the Mediterranean in support of Palestinians jailed in Israel. The convoy plans to pass by ports in the Mediterranean, in both Arab and European states, to express the suffering of prisoners. Shaath also informed Qaraqe that The Socialist International Mediterranean Committee met in Madrid recently to discuss the issue of prisoners detained before the Oslo Accords. Three prisoners are currently on hunger strike in Israeli jails. Mahmoud al-Sarsak, 25, from Rafah in southern Gaza, has been on hunger strike for 85 days. A soccer player on Palestine's national team, he has been detained by Israel for nearly three years without charge and is demanding his release. Al-Rekhawi, 38, has been held at Ramle prison clinic since his arrest in 2004 and suffers chronic illnesses including diabetes and asthma. He has refused food for 61 days. Samer al-Barq joined the mass hunger strike on April 17, but ended the strike on May 14 along with around 2,000 other prisoners when Israel agreed to "facilitate" the detainees' demand to end its policy of detention without charge or trial. He relaunched his hunger strike after Israel renewed his administrative detention order on May 21.