The Palestinian Prisoners Club announced that Palestinian prisoners across all Israeli prisons and detention centers will begin returning meals as part of a series of escalation measures that could lead up to an open hunger strike.

The club said that the Prisoner Movement Emergency Committee affirmed its “readiness to confront any attack that the prison administration might commit,” stressing that “all threats, starting with storming sections and using repression units,” will not discourage Palestinian prisoners from continuing in their struggle.

The club also called on all Palestinians to stand united "behind these enormous sacrifices."

In this regard, the head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, Qaddoura Fares, confirmed that the prison administration is not prepared to face the prisoners' escalatory steps. Adding in an interview with Al Mayadeen on Monday that the main measure that the prisoners will resort to is the open hunger strike, and for the first time in years all factions, without exceptions, will be participating.

In the same context, 4,500 Palestinian prisoners protested, through disobedience, against the measures taken by the Israeli Prison Service against them.

The Prisoner Club confirmed, in a statement, that "more than 4,500 prisoners refrain, on Monday, across all the prisons of the occupation and from all factions, from going out to the so-called "security check" as a step of disobedience to the prison administration laws," and in addition to this step the prisoners will be returning meals on Mondays and Wednesdays for a period of two weeks, at a maximum, after which the above-mentioned open hunger strike will begin.

The statement also stated that "the Higher Emergency Committee, which was formed by prisoners from all factions, decided to activate its role and resume its function after the prison administration doubled down on its oppressive measures following the Freedom Tunnel operation, measures which had repudiated the understandings that took place last March. The prisoners in a number of prisons were informed that the Israeli prison administrations will start imposing restrictions on those sentenced for life imprisonment through repeated transfers from the rooms, sections, and prisons in which they are held.”

The statement also explained that "The goal of the prisoners' measures is to push the prison administration to reverse its recent restrictions and to emphasize a number of demands that it has been procrastinating in implementing, and they are demands related to improving living conditions in detention."

The Israeli Supreme Court rejected the request to cancel the administrative detention of the hunger striker, Khalil Awawdeh, who confirmed the continuation of his hunger strike.

It is worth noting that the number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons reached about 4550 in total, including 31 female prisoners, 175 minors, and 735 administrative prisoners.

Read more: Captive Movement: Open-ended hunger strike begins next week