Inspired by Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan, who pressured Israel with a 66-day hunger strike, a growing number of his fellow detainees are launching similar protests. The tactic appears to be spreading among the thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, who see themselves battling for their rights with the only weapon they have: “empty stomachs.” Adnan went for more than two months without food before a military court agreed to free him, on April 17, when his four-month administrative detention order ends. Inspired by his example, 30-year-old Hanaa Shalabi began a hunger strike after her detention in February, reaching her 39th day without food on Sunday. Across the Israeli prison system, around 30 Palestinian prisoners have followed suit, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, which tracks Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails. The Israeli prison service puts the number at around 20, a spokeswoman said.
