About 1,600 inmates observed a one-day hunger strike in Israeli prisons Tuesday, to protest general conditions and the alleged brutality of their guards.
The strikers comprise roughly 30 percent of Israel’s prison population in seven jails around the country.
It was the first such hunger strike organized in Israel, but the Prison Services claimed it wasn’t genuine, saying the prisoners, as a rule, keep food in their cells.
Shuli Meiri, spokeswoman for Prison Services, said the complaints are not serious but will be carefully investigated in any case.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.