Palestinians voice solidarity with prisoners held in Israeli jails amid intensified punitive measures

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah have staged a protest to express their solidarity with their fellow countrymen who are increasingly subjected to acts of brutality by Israeli prison authorities inside the regime's jails.

The protesters rallied across Ramallah, chanting slogans calling for the release of the Palestinian prisoners and condemning the Israeli violations of their rights.

Raising the Palestine flag and pictures of the prisoner, they also urged Palestinian factions to support the prisoners, especially those with diseases.

“The rally has a message that the Palestinian people can’t leave the prisoners alone as a prey for the [Israeli regime],” Essam Bakr, a coordinator for the National and Islamic Forces, a coalition of various Palestinian factions in Ramallah, told Anadolu Agency.

The rally came as Israeli forces raided various sections of Rimon Prison and attacked Palestinian prisoners on Sunday, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society.

More solidarity protests are slated for Tuesday to express support for the prisoners, who have been faced with intensified punitive measures adopted by the Israeli jail authorities for more than three weeks.

Open-ended hunger strike looming

Palestinian prisoners stressed on Sunday that the “prisons’ intifada” (uprising) against the Israeli crackdown won’t stop until their demands are met.

Moaz Abu Sharkh, a spokesman for Asra Media Office, told SAFA news agency that the situation in Israeli prisons was tense, noting that the upcoming days would see more escalation inside the jails.

“In case the administration (Israeli prison authority) did not respond to the prisoners’ demands to abolish all the punitive measures, there is a strong tendency for staging an open-ended hunger strike next March,” Abu Sharkh said.

Palestinian prisoners continue boycott of Israeli courts for 58th day

They have been refusing to show up for their military court hearings for the 58th consecutive day.

Israel has intensified its repressive measures since six Palestinians broke out of the regime’s high-security Gilboa prison on September 4 using tools as primitive as a spoon.

A massive manhunt was launched by Israeli forces, leading to the re-capture of all six escapees by September 19.

Palestinians have hailed the jailbreak as a victory, while Israelis decried the incident as a major security and intelligence failure.

Israeli jail authorities keep Palestinian prisoners under deplorable conditions lacking proper hygienic standards.

Palestinian inmates have also been subjected to systematic torture, harassment, and repression.

There are thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Hundreds of them have been incarcerated without being charged or tried, under Israel’s so-called administrative detention. Some prisoners have been held in "administrative detention" for up to 11 years.

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