Protests over prisoner's death hit jails and streets

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES

Four thousand five hundred Palestinian prisoners being held by Israel have gone on a 3-day hunger strike as demonstrators take to the streets in protest at the death of Maysara Abu-Hamdiyya in Israeli custody. More than 30 people have been wounded in the protests across the occupied West bank.

Other protests inside Israel’s prisons have included the burning of the Israeli flag and destruction of CCTV cameras. Clashes with prison guards have led to dozens of prisoners being severely injured. Mr Abu-Hamdiyya died in an Israeli hospital this week after being refused proper treatment for his cancer over several months in one of Israel’s prisons.

Massive demonstrations in West Bank cities and the Gaza Strip were followed by pre-dawn raids during which nine Palestinians, including two minors, were arrested by the Israeli occupation forces. In Hebron, university student Ayesh Zeyadat, aged 20, was detained along with former prisoner Nadeem Sabarneh, 32, Nour al-Sarsour and Izziddin abu-Rayyan, both 21.

In Bethlehem, local sources said that the Israelis detained Anas Solaiman, 18, Mahmoud Daamseh, 16, from Al-Dohaisha refugee camp, along with Omar abu-Ajamiyya, 16, from Al-Doha neighbourhood. They also arrested Isa Abu-Al-Harsh from Al-Khader.

In Jenin, the Israeli occupation forces smashed their way into several homes and searched them before arresting 34 year-old Rajeh Qablawi. Witnesses said that the Israelis also broke into the Healthcare Centre in the city and damaged a lot of the facilities there.

In response, the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr Abdel Aziz Duwaik, called for the Palestinian Authority to sign the international human rights conventions that will enable it to take legal action against the Israeli occupation over its crimes against Palestinian prisoners. In an interview with Al-Jazeera, Dr Duwaik said that the application to sign the international conventions must not stay unsigned simply in order not to annoy the US president.

MEMO Photographer: Mohammed Asad

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