WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama has recommitted to closing the Guantanamo Bay prison following the arrival of "medical reinforcements" to deal with a mass hunger strike.

Nearly 40 Navy nurses, corpsmen and specialists have gone to the detention centre, as 100 inmates who have been held for more than a decade without trial refuse food.

"It's not sustainable," Mr Obama said at a White House news conference.

"The notion that we're going to keep 100 individuals in no man's land in perpetuity" made no sense, he said. "All of us should reflect on why exactly are we doing this. Why are we doing this?"