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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org for Tuesday April 24th, 2012.
Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are still on hunger strike for the eighth day and the number of strikers is expected to raise, meanwhile Israeli naval forces kidnap two Palestinian fishermen in Gaza, these stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.
The number of hunger-striking Palestinian political prisoners, held by Israel in various prisons, detention camps and interrogation facilities around the country, will likely reach 3000 as waves of detainees intend to join the strike, demanding their internationally-guaranteed rights.
Hundreds of detainees are currently on hunger-strike that officially started last Tuesday; the strike, dubbed as “the battle of empty bowels”, aims at ending Israel’s illegal administrative detention polices, halting all violations against the prisoners and their families, and improving the living conditions of the prisoners.
Head of the Palestinian Prisoners Society Qaddoura Fares, told media that the first group of prisoners, held under administrative detention without charges, have reached the point of no return as they have been on hunger-strike for 56 consecutive days, and insist on continuing their strike until they are released.
Prisoners are following the footsteps of Khader Adnan who ended his 66-day hunger strike after striking a deal to release him from administrative detention. Adnan was released on April 17. Another female prisoner Hana Shalabi ended her 43-day hunger strike and was immediately released and deported to the Gaza Strip.
There are currently around 8000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, demanding to be treated as prisoners of war.
In the meantime, an Israeli court sentenced, on Tuesday an Israeli police officer who killed a cuffed Palestinian in Tel Aviv to only eight months imprisonment.
The officer was among a number of policemen who on September 14, 2010, subdued and arrested a Palestinian youth, identified as Hazem Abu Ad-Dab’aat, 23. the officer then fired upon him while handcuffed.
The Israeli prosecution charged the officer with “negligence”, and reached a plea bargain with the defendant sentencing him to eight months. Following the shooting, the police claimed that the victim, and three other young men, attempted to steal a private car.
The family of Ad- Dab’aat rejected the Israeli claims regarding the shooting, and said that their son was intentionally killed and denied any relation to the claimed attempted robbery.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli naval forces kidnapped two Palestinian fishermen while fishing in the Mediterranean in the Gaza waters, and confiscated their boat, and took them to unknown destination. The two fishermen were identified as Nader and his brother Hassan Abu Sam’an from as-Shati’ refugee camp west of Gaza city.
Mahfuz Kabariti, specialised in maritime regulations said the two brothers were fishing within a three-mile distance, which is the distance allowed for the Gaza fishermen to fish in.
And that’s all for today from IMEMC News. This was the Tuesday April 24th daily roundup of news from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at www.imemc.org. Please join us again tomorrow for more news and reports. Today’s report has been brought to you by Husam Qassis and me George Rishmawi, have a good day and good bye.
