By Qais Abu Samra
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – The umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) accused Israel Thursday of applying a "policy of starvation" against Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails.
In a statement, the PLO’s Commission of Detainees' Affairs said the Israeli policy of starving Palestinian prisoners has caused them “to lose their weight.”
“This policy will have negative repercussions on the lives of detainees,” it warned.
The commission also accused Israeli prison authorities of depriving Palestinian detainees of their medication.
More than 9,000 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, including 3,484 held without trial or charge under Israel’s notorious policy of administrative detention, according to prisoners' affairs groups.
For the first time since its creation in 1948, Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, the highest judicial body of the United Nations, over its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed at least 29,410 people since Oct. 7 following a Hamas attack, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.
An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar