Skip to main content

Gaza Marks Prisoners Day

The plight of Palestinian prisoners is equally felt in the West Bank and Gaza, where locals are also commemorating fellow Palestinians still behind Israeli bars, writes Rami Almeghari.
Palestinian students chant slogans as they take part in a rally marking Palestinian Prisoners Day in Gaza City April 17, 2013. According to a Palestinian prisoners' association, at least 4,900 Palestinians remain in Israeli jails.  REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST EDUCATION) - RTXYOS4

"We are sorry, Samer Issawi, we are sorry, my dear son Fahmi, Salah, my brother and my nephew, really sorry. Please forgive us all, for we are unable to help free you, but we have been protesting and campaigning for only the past year and half," said As'ad Abu Salah, a freed Palestinian prisoner in his late fifties, in a message to all Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli jails on the anniversary of Palestinian Prisoners Day, April 17, 2013.

Israeli troops arrested Asad and his two sons, Fahmi and Salah, near the border in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun back in 2008. In October 2011, Asad was released in a prisoner-swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in which more than 1,000 prisoners, including the now-hunger-striking Samer Issawi, were released.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.