Palestinian former prisoners banished from the occupied West Bank to the Gaza Strip renewed calls for family reunification during a protest in Gaza, highlighting years of separation from their wives, children, parents, and loved ones.
The demonstration reflected both the pain of prolonged separation and the hope of one day reuniting with family members after years of forced exile.
Participants said their banishment has not only deprived them of their homeland but has also stripped them of one of the most basic human rights: the ability to live alongside their families.
Among those taking part was former prisoner Ismail Al-Radaydeh, who was arrested in 2001 and released after spending 24 years in Israeli prisons.
“We are not rejecting life alongside the people of Gaza, nor are we distancing ourselves from their suffering, displacement, and hardships,” Al-Radaydeh said.
“Today, we stand to demand our right to reunite with our families in the West Bank and to experience the joy of meeting those who remain of our loved ones after an absence that has lasted a quarter of a century,” he added. “For 25 years, we have been denied the most basic human rights — to communicate with and live alongside our families.”
Al-Radaydeh called on international organizations and human rights groups to intervene urgently and help end the suffering of released prisoners who remain stranded in Gaza, enabling them to leave the enclave and reunite with their relatives.
He said Israel bears full responsibility for the hardships endured by Palestinians, including the difficult humanitarian conditions faced by former prisoners who were banished from their homes.
“The policy of banishment has deprived us of stability and of living alongside our families and loved ones,” he said.
Former prisoner Hamad Fanani, who spent 34 years in Israeli prisons, said he and other released prisoners had expected to leave Gaza for Egypt shortly after their release.
“We were informed by the International Committee of the Red Cross that arrangements were being made and that we would be able to travel within days,” Fanani said. “Yet nearly 16 months later, we remain trapped in Gaza.”
He stressed that family reunification is a fundamental humanitarian right.
“There are prisoners who lost their parents or other close relatives during years of imprisonment and banishment,” he said. “Many were denied the chance to bid farewell to their loved ones and remain unable to meet the family members who survived after decades of separation.”
Caught between the hardships of lengthy imprisonment and the pain of forced banishment, the former prisoners continue to wait for a reunion that has been delayed for years.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=75288
