Palestinians demand release of striking detainees in Israel

By Qais Abu Samra
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Scores of Palestinians staged a rally in the West Bank city of al-Bireh on Tuesday to demand the release of hunger-striking detainees in Israeli prisons.

Participants carried pictures of detainees during the rally held outside the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), amid calls for their release.

Nine Palestinian detainees have staged an open-ended hunger strike to protest their administrative detention without charge or trial, according to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)’s Commission of Detainees’ Affairs.

In a statement, the commission said health conditions of the striking detainees have deteriorated, holding Israel responsible for their safety.

The policy of administrative detention allows Israeli authorities to extend the detention of a prisoner without charge or trial.

There are around 4,850 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, including 41 women, 225 children and 540 administrative detainees, according to institutions concerned with prisoners’ affairs.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara