Palestinians wed in show of support for hunger strikers

By Nour Abu Aisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - A young Palestinian couple was married on Monday at a protest tent in Gaza City set up to show solidarity with imprisoned Palestinians who are waging a weeks-long hunger strike.

Dozens of Gazans attended the wedding ceremony for 30-year-old groom Said al-Lulu and 22-year-old bride Khuloud Darwish.

After the ceremony, al-Lulu was borne on the shoulders of friends and well-wishers who sang traditional Palestinian songs interspersed with slogans in support of the hunger-strikers.

According to al-Lulu, he and his bride chose the wedding venue as a means of conveying solidarity with hunger-striking compatriots languishing in Israeli jails.

"It is a way to let the hunger-strikers know that we -- as young Palestinians -- feel their suffering and that they remain in our hearts," he told Anadolu Agency.

"Instead of getting married in a traditional venue, we decided to celebrate the occasion here, that we might share it with the hunger-strikers," he added.

"I tell everyone who congratulates me on this occasion that my hope is to see the prisoners quickly released and all their legitimate demands met," al-Lulu said.

The bride, for her part, echoed these sentiments, saying: "We came here today to share our joy with the hunger-strikers."

On Monday, more than 1,500 Palestinians jailed by Israel entered their 23rd day without food, subsisting only on salt and water.

Led by jailed resistance icon Marwan Barghouti, Palestinian prisoners from across the political spectrum began their hunger strike on April 17 to demand more prison visits, better medical care, and improved conditions for female inmates.

Since then, several Palestinian associations and popular committees have set up large protest tents across the West Bank and Gaza Strip to show solidarity with the hunger-strikers.

According to Palestinian figures, Israel is currently holding more than 6,500 Palestinians -- including 57 women and 300 children -- in detention centers across the country.