Beirut solidarity stand calls for freedom for Palestinian prisoners in occupation jails

On Thursday, 26 February 2026, Palestinian organizations in Lebanon organized a solidarity stand in support of Palestinian prisoners outside the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Beirut’s Hamra district, with a strong participation of Palestinian refugees from the southern camps, including Ein el-Helweh and Mieh-Mieh.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network participated in the event, and international coordinator Charlotte Kates delivered a short speech calling for the freedom of all Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners in the occupation jails, as well as the Palestinians in exile and prisoners for Palestine jailed in imperialist prisons in the U.S. and Europe. She emphasized the suffering of the prisoners during the month of Ramadan, when they are subjected to deliberate starvation, the threat to their lives posed by the ongoing “execution law” as well as the martyrdom of 100 prisoners during the past several years, and the experiences of the women, children, students, elders and leaders of the cause jailed, including Marwan Barghouti, Abdullah Barghouti, Ahmad Sa’adat, Ibrahim Hamed, Hassan Salameh, Jamal Abu al-Heija and Anas Jaradat. She urged international action for their freedom, noting that the imperialist powers are fully complicit in the crimes against the Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners.

Speakers at the event included former Lebanese prisoner Anwar Yassin and Sami Hammoud, director of the Steadfast for the Right to Return organization. At the conclusion of the gathering, the organizers delivered a message to the ICRC calling for action to protect the lives and rights of Palestinian prisoners in occupation jails. The event closed as women elders attending the event led chants calling for freedom and victory for Palestine.

The event was organized during the holy month of Ramadan, despite the heavy restrictions imposed upon the Palestinian people in the refugee camps in Lebanon, including the escalating economic and social crisis. The wide participation of residents of the camps underscores their commitment to the cause of the prisoners and their return to Palestine, and the unifying role of the prisoners in the struggle for Palestine that rises above the crisis.