Ramallah - In a meeting with diplomats and ambassadors to the state of Palestine, the families of a number of Palestinian political prisoners expressed their serious concern about the well-being of their sons in Israeli jails.

PHROC and ICHR organized the meeting yesterday for the representatives of Arab and foreign countries, to shed light on the situation of Palestinian political prisoners, especially those currently undergoing an open hunger strike.

During the meeting, the sister of the prisoner Husam Shaheen, who is sentenced to 27 years, 14 of which have already been served, expressed her utmost concern regarding the health of her hunger-striking brother. The Israeli authorities have prevented the International Red Cross from visiting him after he was transferred to the Ramleh jail due to a deterioration in his health. In addition to this, the mothers of the prisoners Ahmad Jafar, Rafat Al-Qarawi and Alaa Fuqaha expressed their fear for the lives and health of their sons, especially given the current scarcity of reliable information about them, their health and condition.

PHROC and ICHR stressed that the demands of the prisoners are humane, legal and in accordance with international law. They emphasized the importance of a clear position on the prisoners from the representatives' states and the international community to pressure Israel to comply with the prisoners’ demands.

The representatives of PHROC and ICHR requested that these diplomats visit the prisoners, especially those undergoing a hunger strike and to inspect their living conditions and witness the inhumane treatment they are currently suffering under. The representatives of the foreign states carried with them letters, addressed to their respective ministries of foreign affairs, explaining the plight of the hunger strikers and the nature of their inhumane treatment, as well as their official demands. This letter urges the different states to apply pressure on Israel to respect the will of the hunger strikers, who are using their bodies as a legitimate mean of protest. 

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