Palestinians mark Prisoners Day in Ramallah, Gaza

Hundreds of Palestinians have demonstrated in the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip to mark Palestinian Prisoners Day and show support for the Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

People gathered at Yasser Arafat Square in the center of the occupied Ramallah on Sunday to voice their anger at the Israeli regime’s detention of Palestinians, including children.

The protesters were carrying Palestinian flag and posters of Palestinian prisoners.

Ramallah governor Laila Ghannam, who was among the protesters, called for the release of Palestinians from Israeli jails.

Issa Qaraqa’, the minister of prisoners affairs, asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to launch an investigation into Israel’s violations of international law.

In Gaza, people also marked the day, marching from the city’s main square toward the International Committee of Red Cross headquarters. Protesters chanted anti-Israel slogans and promised to continue their fight against the Zionist regime.

Prisoners Day is commemorated every year in solidarity with the more than 7,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails. Some 320 of the detainees are children aged under 16.

At least 1,700 ill Palestinian prisoners are currently languishing in Israeli jails and detention facilities, 25 of them are suffering from cancer.