PLO urges UN chief to save lives of 6 prisoners on hunger strike

A Palestinian official urged Saturday the United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to help save the lives of six Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails on an open hunger strike.

Head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Detainees Affairs Commission Eassa Qaraqe' sent a letter to the UN secretary general saying that the striking prisoners are facing "critical health condition."

He added that those include prisoners under administrative detention and those protesting medical negligence and solitary confinement. The longest is Sami Janazrah, who has been on an open hunger strike for 65 days.

Qaraqe' pointed in his letter that the waves of protests and strikes continue inside Israeli jails against administrative detention, medical negligence, solitary condiments and banning visitation rights, describing such acts as violation to rights of prisoners, international laws and UN resolutions.

He called on Ban to lead a UN investigation committee to investigate into the issue.

According to official data, there are around 7,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails, including 42 serving over 20 years sentence, 450 children and 68 women.