Palestinian prisoners enter 50th day of hunger strike

The health condition of two Palestinians has deteriorated after they entered their 50th day on hunger strike to protest their continued detention by the Israeli authorities, the Palestinian Prisoners Association said Tuesday.

Awda al-Horoub and Hassan al-Aweiwi, both from the city of Hebron (Al-Khalil), have both suffered serious declines in their health, according to the NGO.

The Israeli authorities, meanwhile, have dragged their feet in responding to the pair's demand to end their continued detention.

The 32-year-old al-Horoub, a father of 10, has remained in administrative detention since December 2018.

Al-Aweiwi, 35, has been detained since January of this year. He is the father of three children and has previously spent several years in Israeli detention.

Under Israel's longstanding policy of administrative detention, suspects can be held without trial or charge for renewable six-month periods.

According to Palestinian figures, some 6,400 Palestinians are currently being held in Israeli prisons, including 500 in administrative detention.