NABLUS (Ma’an) -- Three Palestinians affiliated to militant groups launched a hunger strike on Thursday, calling on the Palestinian Authority to secure an amnesty deal with Israel so they can leave PA jail.

In the years after the second intifada, Israel agreed to pardon hundreds of militants, mainly affiliated to Fatah, who had been held in protective custody by the PA.

Waleed Al-Kharaz and Moayad Al-Alfi, members of Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, have been held in PA custody for four years after they were accused of killing an Israeli settler near Nablus.

Ahmad Al-Mashati, a member of the PFLP's armed wing, the Abu Ali Mustafa brigades, was jailed by the PA in August 2010 and was previously held in Israeli jail for four years.

They launched their hunger strike in the Istikhbarat (intelligence) detention center in Nablus.

The group are urging the Palestinian Authority to agree an amnesty for them with Israeli officials, to remove their 'wanted' status.