Palestinians demand Israel end policy of administrative detention

Palestinians staged a rally in the Gaza Strip on Monday to demand Israel end its controversial policy of administrative detention, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Protesters waved photos of Palestinians held administratively without trial or charge during the protest outside the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza City.

Demonstrators called on the international community to pile pressure on Israel to end the administrative detention of Palestinians.

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

READ: Israel issues 400 administrative detention orders against Palestinians this year

Two Palestinians – Khalil Awawdeh and Raed Rayan – have been on hunger strike for 103 and 68 days, respectively, to protest their detention without trial.

“We appeal to the international community to quickly intervene to save the lives of detainees, especially hunger-striking prisoners,” Zaki Dababesh, the coordinator of a local prisoner committee, told the rally.

He condemned the “silence of the international human rights organisations to violations of prisoners’ rights in Israeli jails.”

According to Palestinian estimates, there are 4,700 Palestinians held in Israeli detention facilities, including 32 women, 170 minors and nearly 640 held under Israel’s administrative detention policy without charge or trial.