Palestinians staged a protest on Wednesday calling for the release of six prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails. Recent reports said that the prisoners are at imminent risk of death. Protestors gathered at the al-Manara Square in Ramallah. Families of the prisoners were also present. They hail from various cities in the occupied West Bank.
The prisoners are protesting against the Israeli policy that allows the detaining of Palestinians indefinitely on 'administrative detention' orders. Israeli law enforcement can detain Palestinians based on "secret information" without pressing formal charges or putting them on trial. The six prisoners are on an open-ended hunger strike against this policy.
Prisoner Miqdad al-Qawasmi was moved to ICU on Tuesday after fasting without water for 91 days. His lawyer said that he is facing "sudden death". Qawasmi's father said that his son is protesting to secure liberation and represents the epitome of freedom.
Other prisoners Alaa al-Araj and Hisham Abu Hawwash were also moved to hospital after refusing food for 75 and 65 days, respectively. Israeli authorities have prevented the families from seeing the prisoners. And the court rejected a petition by Alaa's lawyers to freeze his administrative detention order.
Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS), told Al Jazeera that the "battle" of their heroes is every Palestinian's battle. He added that they are standing in front of a very dangerous scenario and calling for national mobilisation. "Israel wants to turn us into a population that asks for civil rights, not national rights."
There are 520 Palestinian prisoners under administrative detention in Israeli jails.