GAZA CITY
Palestinians inside the Palestinian territories and in diaspora mark on Thursday the 40th Prisoners' Day amid calls for the release of around 5,000 prisoners in Israeli detentions.
"Israeli prisons have become like graveyards," the Palestine Behind Bars movement said in a statement.
On Prisoners Day, Palestinians staged rallies and organize events to remind the international community of the prisoners' cause and draw attention to the dire and inhumane conditions they suffer in Israeli detentions.
A number of activists have launched online and social media campaigns to raise awareness about the cause.
The Prisoners Day marks the release on April 17, 1974, of the first Palestinian detainee in the first ever prisoner-exchange deal with Israel.
Around 5,000 Palestinians languish in some 22 Israeli prisons and detentions, according to a recent report by the Prisoners Centre for Studies and Research, a Palestinian NGO.
They include 200 minors and 19 women, the report said.
By Ola Attalah
englishnews@aa.com.tr
