GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Dozens of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails were taken to hospitals May 24 to be examined as a nearly six-week mass hunger strike continues with no negotiations in sight.
An estimated 1,300 to 1,600 prisoners are participating in the "Freedom and Dignity" hunger strike, which began April 17 to demand better living conditions in prison. (An Israeli official claimed that the number of participants dropped to 870 after two weeks.) The prisoners say they have managed to survive so far on nothing but water and salt, which they use to try to stabilize their health.