The Israeli Occupation continues to detain the freedom of 5,000 Palestinians in humiliating and unhealthy conditions of 17 prisons. It continues to exercise the worst forms of abuse and humiliation against the prisoners irrespective of the international covenants and treaties. The Palestinian prisoners’ registry indicates that there are 187 children prisoners. This is in addition to 200 administrative prisoners, who are accused of having secret files based on the British Mandate laws. The zionist court comply with the interest of the soldiers on issuing unfair sentences against the prisoners.

Today, there is 476 prisoners who are sentenced one life imprisonment or even more than one life imprisonment. The occupying forces refuse to release the fourth regiment of the prisoners , whom were arrested before Oslo Accord in an attempt to release their freedom only in compensation for compromises made by the Palestinian negotiator.

Since 1967, 204 prisoners were martyred because of the deliberate medical neglect and the direct death sentence, which the prisoners have been facing inside the prison. The administrative of the prisons have never been punished or held accountable.

 

Giving the stated facts, Health Work Committees call for the following:

·         In times when the Palestinian nation and all the supporters of justice in the world are commentating the Palestinian prisoner day on the 17^th of April of every year, we urge that the prisoner’s cause should be given a priority at different levels and not only during this day.

·         Advocate for releasing all the prisoners from the Israeli prisons.

·         File a case for the international criminal courts against the occupation since the state of Palestine has been part of many international right’s treaties. 

·         Oblige the state of the occupation to comply with the terms of Geneva convention in dealing with the prisoners.

·         End the political division in Palestine as soon as possible as it has negatively affected the prisoner’s cause and the overall Palestinian cause.