Israel official: 870 Palestinians remain on hunger strike
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE -- In this April 23, 2017 file photo, a Palestinian protester holds a sling shot as he sits near a banner with a picture of jailed leader Marwan Barghouti that reads, "The architect of the uprising," following a protest supporting prisoners in Israeli jails, in the West Bank city of Ramallah. An Israeli official said Monday, May 1, 2017, that the number of Palestinians prisoners participating in one of the largest hunger strike in years dropped to 870, from 1,300 a week earlier. Support for the hunger strikers who seek better conditions has gained momentum with West Bank marches and a social media campaign and has boosted the Palestinian leadership credentials of its imprisoned organizer, Barghouti. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed, File) (The Associated Press)
An Israel official says that on the 15th day of a hunger strike, the number of Palestinian prisoners participating in the protest has dropped to 870, from 1,300 last week.
The strike is one of the largest such protests years. The strikers demand better conditions in Israeli prisons.
Support for the strike has gained momentum with West Bank marches and a social media campaign showing celebrities in the Arab world drinking salty water in solidarity.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The strike catapulted imprisoned organizer Marwan Barghouti back into the spotlight and boosted his national leadership credentials.
Israel Prison Service spokesman Assaf Librati did not elaborate Monday on why over 400 prisoners quit the strike. He says the strikers are held in separate wings, monitored by medical staff. He says several are held in isolation.