Al Nakba
More than 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes in 1948.
Millions remain displaced today.
Millions remain displaced today.
Palestinian Prisoners Day
Palestinian Prisoners Day Why It Matters
Every year on April 17, Palestinians and people around the world mark Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, a day to honor those imprisoned by the Israeli state and to reaffirm a collective commitment to their freedom.
Since 1967, over 800,000 Palestinians have been detained, a staggering number that reflects a system designed not just to punish individuals, but to control an entire population. Today, more than 9,000 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, including children, journalists, organizers, elected officials and doctors.
Many are imprisoned under administrative detention, held indefinitely without charge or trial. Families are separated. Children are taken in night raids. Prisoners face torture, medical neglect, and prolonged isolation.
Since 1967, over 800,000 Palestinians have been detained, a staggering number that reflects a system designed not just to punish individuals, but to control an entire population. Today, more than 9,000 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, including children, journalists, organizers, elected officials and doctors.
Many are imprisoned under administrative detention, held indefinitely without charge or trial. Families are separated. Children are taken in night raids. Prisoners face torture, medical neglect, and prolonged isolation.
A System Of Control
The imprisonment of Palestinians is part of a broader system aimed at suppressing resistance and fragmenting communities.
Arrest is used as a tool of control.
For many Palestinians, imprisonment is not a distant threat, but a near-universal experience that touches nearly every family.
Inside prisons, resistance continues. Hunger strikes, collective organizing, and steadfastness have long been central to Palestinian struggle, even under conditions designed to break it.
Arrest is used as a tool of control.
For many Palestinians, imprisonment is not a distant threat, but a near-universal experience that touches nearly every family.
Inside prisons, resistance continues. Hunger strikes, collective organizing, and steadfastness have long been central to Palestinian struggle, even under conditions designed to break it.
Escalation
In this moment, the situation is becoming more severe.
Since October 2023, arrests have surged and conditions inside prisons have deteriorated significantly. Reports of abuse, isolation, and denial of basic needs have increased.
At the same time, Israeli lawmakers have advanced efforts to expand the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners.
This marks a dangerous escalation, from mass incarceration toward the possibility of state execution within a system already defined by indefinite detention and lack of due process.
Since October 2023, arrests have surged and conditions inside prisons have deteriorated significantly. Reports of abuse, isolation, and denial of basic needs have increased.
At the same time, Israeli lawmakers have advanced efforts to expand the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners.
This marks a dangerous escalation, from mass incarceration toward the possibility of state execution within a system already defined by indefinite detention and lack of due process.
Why We Mark This Day
Palestinian prisoners are political prisoners. Their imprisonment is inseparable from the broader struggle for land, freedom, and self-determination.
Their fight is connected to movements around the world:
* struggles against colonialism
* movements for prison abolition
* Indigenous resistance to displacement and control
Here in the Sonoran desert, we understand survival as something collective. Mutual aid, solidarity, and resistance are how we care for one another and build power together.
Their fight is connected to movements around the world:
* struggles against colonialism
* movements for prison abolition
* Indigenous resistance to displacement and control
Here in the Sonoran desert, we understand survival as something collective. Mutual aid, solidarity, and resistance are how we care for one another and build power together.
What Solidarity Looks Like
Marking Palestinian Prisoners’ Day means refusing silence.
It means:
* learning and sharing the reality of imprisonment
* supporting campaigns led by Palestinians and prisoner advocacy groups
* pressuring institutions and elected officials
* showing up in our communities and alongside others
As repression escalates, so must our solidarity.
It means:
* learning and sharing the reality of imprisonment
* supporting campaigns led by Palestinians and prisoner advocacy groups
* pressuring institutions and elected officials
* showing up in our communities and alongside others
As repression escalates, so must our solidarity.
Learn More / Take Action
We encourage you to explore and support the work of organizations documenting and resisting the imprisonment of Palestinians:
* Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement — including their 2026 Prisoners’ Day call
* Visualize Palestine
* Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association
* Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
* Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement — including their 2026 Prisoners’ Day call
* Visualize Palestine
* Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association
* Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network