Story highlights More than a thousand Palestinian prisoners launch hunger strikesPrisoners demand end to solitary confinement, administrative detentionJerusalem (CNN) More than a thousand Palestinians in Israeli prisons launched a hunger strike Monday, demanding better living and medical conditions for approximately 6,500 prisoners. Some 1,600 prisoners are taking part, according to Palestinian Authority Prisoners' Affairs Minister Issa Qaraqe. Qaraq said more prisoners may join the hunger strike later today, which was planned to coincide with Palestinian Prisoners' Day. The hunger strike is a way of "bringing prisoners closer to their basic rights and demands and preventing the occupation from harming the dignity of the Palestinian prisoners," he said in a statement. A woman holds the portrait of a Palestinian prisoner during a rally in Ramallah Monday.

Source: CNN April 17, 2017 13:30 UTC