Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails protesting harsh Israeli measures on Saturday continued a hunger strike for the 13th day in a row despite the deteriorating health of many of the inmates.

The number of those waging the open-ended “empty stomachs” protest against solitary confinement, administrative detention without trial and a ban on relatives’ visits, among other demands, has risen to 1,600. Among those on hunger strike are top leaders, Marwan Barghouthi, Fatah Central Committee member, and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine chief Ahmad Saadat.

Palestinians across the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip and in the world had organised a series of activities in solidarity with the hunger-striking prisoners and to demand their freedom.

The national committee in support of the hunger strikers issued a statement today urging all Palestinians from all walks of life to join a sit-in tent in the City of Ramallah to back the demands of the prisoners in Israeli prison cells