Friday demos in Gaza for prisoners' rights

Huge marches took place Friday in Gaza, in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners held  in Israeli jails. The  demos, called by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad movements,  came at a time when Palestinian prisoners are  continuing their hunger strikes for the 11th consecutive day, in protest against Israel's detention policies. While prisoners continued their strike, solidarity activities launched in Gaza,  the West Bank and abroad,  demanded  that prisoners should no longer be held in solitary confinement and their  visitation rights be restored. Ismail Haniyeh, the Prime Minister of  Gaza, said that his government stands together with the prisoners and backs their demands. During Friday prayers, Haniyeh addressed the prisoners' cause,  saying that the signs of victory were piercing through the atmosphere surrounding their strike. He also addressed the Palestinian people, appealing to them to unite with the prisoners’ cause. Haniyeh also directed part of his speech towards Egypt, calling on  its intelligence apparatus, which led the negotiations in the  prisoner swap deal which saw the release of Israeli soldier Sgt Gilad Shalit in October 2011, to enforce Israel to carry out what had been agreed in the deal which includes ending solitary confinement, resotring visitation rights, securing  decent living conditions  for the prisoners and cancelling the Shalit Law, named after the Israeli soldier, which was imposed to restrict prisoner's rights until the kidnapped soldier was released. Haniyeh also spoke to the Arab people, asking them to draw attention to the  Palestinian  prisoners' cause, especially in Tahrir Square. He also appealed to the Palestinian people to visit the prisoners’ relatives and offer them support and help. During the march, Sheikh Khaled al-Batsh, a leader in the Islamic Jihad Movement, rallied the Palestinian people to confront Israel's settlers by "stoning them and burning their land" so that Israelis would  "understand the demands of the prisoners for decent conditions and freedom." He added that the prisoners who are on strike,  seek freedom or at least improvements in their conditions behind bars. "Do their empty stomachs not deserve an emergency session of the Arab League, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the Human Rights Council?" he asked. The Hamas government's Minister for Prisoners' Affairs, Atallah Abu al-Sabah,  said that the detainees held in Israeli prisons constitute "a thorn in the heart".  He added that Palestinian people believe that Israel will one day cease to exist,  and the strike of the prisoners is a step on the road to liberation. He added that the struggle against Israel will not stop until it falls.