RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- The Mandela institute for human rights and political prisoners appealed to international humanitarian institutions especially the Red Cross to end the tragedy of Palestinian detainees in the investigation cellars of the Israeli Jalama prison, who went on a hunger strike in protest at the unjust incarceration conditions.

Lawyer Buthaina Duqmaq, the head of the Mandela institute, stated that the Jalama prisoners decided to go on the hunger strike after all efforts made to stop their detention in isolation cells and to convince the prison administration to transfer them to central prisons failed.

Lawyer Buthaina said that the IOA extended the detention of prisoners several times despite the fact it ended investigating them two months ago, and the prison administration refused to transfer them and end their isolation tragedy.

The human rights activist pointed that the prison administration bars the prisoners from meeting their lawyers, the Red Cross and their next of kin, adding that prisoners complained about maltreatment, poor meals and lack of health care.

In a new development, the Israeli Haaretz newspaper reported that an Israeli ministerial committee would meet next Sunday to prepare a list of 450 Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for the Israeli captive soldier rather than the list of names tabled by the Hamas Movement.

The newspaper said that Israeli premier Ehud Olmert approved the release of 450 prisoners in the framework of the prisoners swap deal to be concluded with Hamas.

According to political analysts, the Israeli step indicated that Israel is still persistent in its rejection of the list of names tendered by Hamas and is trying to circumvent this list by providing an alternative list in order to throw the ball in Hamas's court and accuse it of rebuffing the deal.