EXCLUSIVE PICTURES
Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli prisons have embarked on a hunger strike in protest over poor conditions of detention and ill-treatment. Yesterday, Israeli prison authorities took action against a number of the hunger strikers placing them in solitary confinement. There currently over 6,000 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails.
In response, the Palestinian public led by the families of the prisoners alongside national action groups have organised marches in cities across the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
Families gathered outside the headquarters of the Red Cross in Gaza where a protest tent was set up and from where a march set out into the city. Palestinian university students also took part in the march.
The Prisoner’s Committee for national and Islamic forces and institution in the Gaza Strip confirmed that they would be sending a memorandum on the latest developments along with other issues related to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons to international, media, humanitarian and human rights organisations from the protest tent. The memorandum will be delivered to organisations such as the United Nations and the High Commissioner for human rights.
The prisoners families have vowed to step up their actions in the event that the situation with Israel reaches a dead end by this coming Tuesday.
MEMO Photographer: Mohammed Asad