The head of the Palestinian Prisoners Affairs Authority, Qadri Abu Bakr, confirmed - today, Tuesday - that the Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons are determined to carry out a mass hunger strike starting next Friday;

To protest the deterioration of their conditions, after 6 of them escaped from Gilboa prison last week.

Abu Bakr described the situation inside prisons as "very bad", and confirmed that "1380 prisoners distributed in 8 prisons have joined the strike as an initial step, and hundreds of others will join them on Tuesday (next)."

More than a week ago, 6 Palestinian prisoners from Gilboa Prison (North) succeeded through a hole they made under a sink inside the bathroom of their cell.

Palestinian detainees resort from time to time to hunger strikes as a means to achieve their demands or to protest against their administrative detention.

Dozens of officials and families of Palestinian detainees organized a sit-in today, Tuesday, in front of the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ramallah, in solidarity with their children.

The participants in the sit-in carried pictures of the six detainees who were able to be freed and chanted for them.


The ICRC had informed the Palestinian Prisoners' Club last week that family visits to their children would be suspended for three days.

Later today, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed - in a statement - the resumption of "the program of family visits for detainees, starting from Sunday (September 19), according to the previously announced program."

The four prisoners

On the other hand, Abu Bakr expressed Palestinian concern about the fate of the four detainees who escaped and were re-arrested, especially after their detention was extended to complete the investigation and in light of their being prevented from meeting their lawyers.

Abu Bakr said that Israel refuses to "visit them by lawyers, the Red Cross, or any other party."

According to Abu Bakr, "This generates fears that they will be beaten and tortured, and there is a danger to their lives, especially since we have seen pictures of Al-Zubaidi and the effects of beatings on his face."

In his interview with Agence France-Presse, he said, "The media blackout and the prevention of visits to prisoners is a dangerous indicator, and this is reflected in prisons."


Activists on social media - including Yahya Al-Zubaidi, Zakaria's brother - transmitted information about the deterioration of the latter's health condition during his interrogation and his transfer to the hospital twice.

popular solidarity

The majority of Palestinian cities witnessed demonstrations of solidarity with the detainees, which included confrontations with the Israeli army, during which Palestinian casualties were recorded.

According to the Prisoner's Club, there are 4,650 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, including about 200 children and minors.

According to the club, the tension is also due to the Prison Authority conducting transfers between detainees and searches in the wake of the escape.

Today, Tuesday, the Israeli occupation forces re-arrested the freed prisoner Omar Obaid and his father, after storming his reception party in the town of Al-Isawiya in occupied Jerusalem.

Video clips documented the moment the occupation forces stormed the reception of the prisoner - who was released today after 6 and a half years of detention - and arrested him from the crowd.

The family of the captive had received him with tears, joy and ululations, and the people of the town gathered to receive and celebrate him, which did not last long until the occupation stormed the reception and re-arrested the liberated captive.