Israel punishes Palestinian inmates over hunger strike

Prison guards confiscated personal belongings, conducted strip searches, and placed prisoners in small metal containers in Negev prisons in southern Israel, Ma'an reported on Saturday.

Authorities also banned breaks for prisoners and six detainees were placed outside in the containers as a punishment.

On April 17, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners began the hunger strike to protest against imprisonment without charge and solitary confinement exercised by the Tel Aviv regime.

There have been several demonstrations across the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip to express solidarity with the prisoners.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and prisoner advocacy groups, there are currently thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, many of whom have been rounded up without charge or trial.