From hunger strikes inside Nablus prison to deadly shootings and financial reprisals against former prisoners, tensions are intensifying across areas governed by the Palestinian Authority.
Key Developments
- Political detainees launch open hunger strike in al-Junaid prison in Nablus.
- One prisoner hospitalized amid reported punitive measures and solitary confinement.
- Family of detainee Samer Samara warns of life-threatening health deterioration.
- Two children killed during arrest operation targeting Samara.
- Rights groups demand criminal investigation into use of lethal force.
- Former prisoners and families report salaries cut for months across the West Bank.
Hunger Strike Inside al-Junaid Prison
Families of political detainees in the occupied West Bank have expressed alarm after prisoners inside the Palestinian Authority-run al-Junaid detention center in Nablus began an open-ended hunger strike, protesting detention conditions they describe as degrading and abusive.
The Committee of Families of Political Detainees said it received urgent testimonies from inside the prison indicating that the situation has already reached a dangerous stage. According to the committee, one detainee was transferred to hospital after his health sharply deteriorated as a result of the strike.
Families say prison authorities imposed punitive measures against the striking detainees, including forcing them into open courtyards during extremely cold weather and stripping cells of basic necessities. Several prisoners were moved into solitary confinement while others were threatened with the same measure, leaving detainees with “only the minimum essential needs.”
The committee held the responsible authorities fully accountable for the prisoners’ safety, warning that the open hunger strike carries “real risks to their health and survival.” It demanded an immediate end to all punitive actions, restoration of humane conditions, and release of political detainees.
Human rights organizations, both local and international, were urged to intervene urgently, visit the detainees, and ensure protection of their rights.
Update – Relatives Name PA Officials, Demand Release of Samara After Deadly Shooting
Samara Case
The prison crisis intensified after the family of detainee Samer Samara warned of severe health deterioration while he remains held in al-Junaid prison.
According to his family, Samara is suffering repeated vomiting of blood and has not received urgent medical treatment. They held the joint security committee legally and morally responsible for his life and demanded his immediate transfer to hospital and release.
Samara had been arrested days earlier following a shooting incident during which Palestinian Authority security forces opened fire on the vehicle he was traveling in with his children. Two of his sons were killed and others injured before he was detained while wounded.
The group Lawyers for Justice demanded disclosure of the officers involved and their immediate suspension pending criminal prosecution. The organization called for an investigation into similar killings over the past three years, noting that more than twenty Palestinians have been killed in comparable incidents in northern West Bank cities since October 2023.
The group stressed that firing live ammunition at a civilian vehicle carrying women and children constitutes a grave violation of the right to life and “cannot be justified under any security or political pretext.”
Rights Groups Warn
Legal organizations and families argue the incident reflects a wider pattern of excessive force by Palestinian Authority security services in recent years.
They pointed to multiple documented accusations by families alleging deaths caused by torture or lethal force, saying the trend has intensified since the killing of political activist Nizar Banat. According to the groups, the lack of effective accountability has eroded public trust in the justice system and threatens social stability.
Lawyers for Justice emphasized that the Palestinian Authority, as a signatory to international human rights treaties including the Convention Against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, is legally obligated to prevent abuse, prohibit torture, and prosecute violations.
They warned that continued impunity risks encouraging retaliation and deepening internal unrest, calling for independent oversight and judicial accountability mechanisms.
235 Violations Recorded – PA Crackdown Intensifies as Rights Groups Question Constitutional Move
Financial Pressure
Parallel to the prison tensions, former prisoners and families of detainees say the Palestinian Authority has cut financial allowances that supported prisoners, released detainees, and families of those killed.
Former detainee Muntaṣir Abu Ghulayoun said payments had stopped for more than six months despite repeated promises. He described the funds not as charity but as a right earned through years of imprisonment.
The cuts now reportedly affect prisoners across political factions, including members of Fatah itself and individuals released in prisoner exchange deals. Families say banks have refused to open accounts for some former detainees, further worsening their economic situation.
Former prisoners accuse the leadership of abandoning them while they continue to face Israeli arrests and military operations. Abu Ghulayoun said families now suffer hunger outside prison while detainees suffer hunger inside it.
The policy, widely viewed by critics as part of restructuring measures tied to international political pressure, has triggered protests and sit-ins and threatens to widen divisions within Palestinian society.
(QNN, PC, Palestinian Media)
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