Reference :
V-P-IL-E-02558
Date :
16/05/2012
Caption :
West Bank, near Nablus, Balata camp. Iman, 8 years old, holds a picture of her father, a Palestinian detained in an Israeli prison. On her right, Huda, her father's mother. They just came back from visiting him.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
ICRC website, Feature, 25-05-2012
Israel/the occupied territories: families of Palestinian detainees between hope and fear
Thousands of Palestinian families living in the West Bank have relatives in Israeli places of detention. It is difficult to maintain direct contact between detainees and their families, leading to suffering and to problems within the families. The Israeli authorities suspended family visits during the recent hunger strike by Palestinian detainees between March and May 2012, causing a great deal of anxiety and concern for detainees and families alike.
For the past 45 years, the ICRC has enabled Palestinians to visit family members in Israeli places of detention. The organization applies for permits and provides transport to and from the prisons. ICRC delegates also convey oral greetings and written Red Cross messages to help families stay in touch.
Huda and her grand daughter Iman
Balata camp, in the city of Nablus, is the biggest refugee camp in the West Bank. Huda is holding a picture of her detained son, the father of Iman (8). They have just come back from visiting him.
The round trip and the visit itself took 12 hours. “After each visit, I’m so exhausted I have to stay in bed for three or four days. It’s also very hard for Iman, because she has heart problems. Once she lost consciousness at the checkpoint,” says Huda.
Huda has nine sons, who were all detained at the same time during the first intifada. “I was devastated. I cried so much I couldn’t see clearly any more. All my time was spent visiting my sons in the different places of detention.”
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
5616x3744
Orientation :
landscape
Colour/B&W :
colour
