Gaza, Al Ray - “Israel” released Monday a Palestinian prisoner to Gaza after he spent seven and a half years in prison.
Al Ray correspondent quoted Said Harb, 27, who is from the southern governorate of Rafah, as saying upon his arrival at the Erez crossing "I feel the joy of meeting my loved ones whom I have long waited to hug, but at the same time I am very sad for hunger-striking prisoners I left,"
He added: "the striking prisoners are suffering extremely difficult conditions with their strike entering a critical stage,"
Harb delivered the message of the prisoners from jails that they "urge the Palestinian people to engage with the escalating move of mass hunger strike through large-scale popular solidarity action, in order to put pressure on the occupation authorities to meet our demands,"
He stressed that the administrative detainees will not back down on their position to continue with their hunger strike until their legitimate demands are fulfilled.
Harb, who is affiliated to Hamas's armed wing of Al Qassam Brigades, was released after serving his sentence in full in Israeli jails. He was arrested during the 2006 Israeli invasion of eastern Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
Administrative detainees in Israeli jails have been on hunger strike for the 34th consecutive day protesting the administrative detention policy.
Over 800,000 Palestinians have been detained since 1967, with 5,224 currently being held in Israeli prisons, according to the PLO.
Under international law, it is illegal to transfer prisoners outside of the occupied territory in which they are detained, and the families of Palestinian prisoners' face many obstacles in obtaining permits to see their imprisoned relatives.
