GAZA, (PIC)
Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza on Wednesday to protest new Israeli legislation that would allow the execution of Palestinian prisoners, amid rising public anger.
The rally, organized by the Popular Committee for Refugees, followed the Israeli Knesset’s approval of a bill earlier this week proposing the death penalty for Palestinian detainees. Participants, including community leaders and families of prisoners, held photos of their relatives and chanted slogans declaring that harming prisoners is a “red line.”
Tribal and community representative Ali al-Shashniya said the protest aimed to send a clear message that prisoners are not alone, describing the legislation as a sign of “confusion and moral bankruptcy.”
Families of detainees also voiced defiance. Nihad Awad Ahmad, father of prisoner Nader Ahmad, said such laws would only strengthen their determination, stressing that prisoners remain “symbols of freedom.”
Protesters called on the international community to intervene and halt the law, warning that further escalation against prisoners would spark broader public response across Palestinian society.
The proposed law allows for executions by hanging, grants legal immunity to those carrying them out, and permits rulings by simple majority, including in military courts.
More than 9,500 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, including dozens of women and children, amid ongoing reports of torture and medical neglect. Since October 2023, conditions have worsened significantly alongside the Israeli genocide that lasted two years in Gaza.
