Thousands of Palestinians protested in the occupied West Bank鈥檚 major cities Sunday against the war in Gaza and in support of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
One of the largest marches took place in Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority located just north of Jerusalem, with hundreds gathering at the main square, waving Palestinian flags.
Many protesters carried photos of Palestinians killed or imprisoned by Israel, as well as photos depicting the聽 hunger crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip, where UN-backed experts have warned that a 鈥榝amine is unfolding鈥�.
鈥楳y son is in Israel鈥檚 Megido prison and he suffers from many things, such as the lack of medicine the lack of food,鈥� Rula Ghanem, a Palestinian academic and writer who took part in the march, said.
She said that her son had lost 10 kilograms and suffered from scabies in jail.
The number of Palestinians jailed by Israel skyrocketed after the start of the war in Gaza, some for violent acts, but some also for posting political statements on social media, the Palestinian Commission of Detainees鈥� and Ex-Detainees鈥� Affairs says.
The commission鈥檚 spokesman Thaer Shriteh said: 鈥楾he international community is a partner in all this suffering, as long as it does not intervene quickly to save the Palestinian people and save the prisoners inside the prisons and detention centre.鈥�
A group of protesters dressed as skeletons and carried dolls around to symbolise the Gaza war鈥檚 dire effect on children, who are most at risk of malnutrition.
Israel has heavily restricted the entry of aid into Gaza, which was already under blockade for 15 years before the war began.
UN agencies, humanitarian groups and analysts say that much of the trickle of food aid that Israel allows in is looted or diverted in chaotic circumstances.
鈥榃e hope that our stand today will have an impact in supporting our people in Gaza and the hungry children in Gaza,鈥� said 39-year-old Tagreed Ziada, one of the protesters at the Ramallah march.
Protests were held Sunday in other major Palestinian cities such as Nablus in the north and Hebron in the south, with many government employees receiving a day off to attend the demonstrations.
While there have been somewhat regular demonstrations against the war in Gaza, they are rarely coordinated across various cities in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed 鈥榩rofound shock鈥� over videos showing two emaciated hostages in Gaza, with the EU also denouncing the clips on Sunday and demanding the release of all remaining captives after nearly 22 months of war.
Over the past few days, Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad have released three videos showing two hostages seized during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the on-going war in Gaza.
The images of Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David have sparked strong reactions among Israelis, fuelling renewed calls to reach a truce and hostage release deal without delay.
A statement from Netanyahu鈥檚 office late Saturday said he had spoken with the families of the two hostages and 鈥榚xpressed profound shock over the materials distributed by the terror organisations鈥�.
Netanyahu 鈥榯old the families that the efforts to return all our hostages are on-going鈥�, the statement added.
Earlier in the day, tens of thousands of people had rallied in the coastal hub of Tel Aviv to urge Netanyahu鈥檚 government to secure the release of the remaining captives.
In the clips shared by the Palestinian Islamist groups, 21-year-old Braslavski, a German-Israeli dual national, and 24-year-old David both appear weak and malnourished.
There was particular outrage in Israel over images of David who appeared to be digging what he said in the staged video was his own grave.
The videos make references to the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza, where UN-mandated experts have warned a 鈥榝amine is unfolding鈥�.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the images 鈥榓re appalling and expose the barbarity of Hamas鈥�, calling for the release of 鈥榓ll hostages immediately and unconditionally鈥�.
