The Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO) and Human Rights Organizations called for the immediate release of all detainees arrested for participating in peaceful demonstrations in several areas in the Gaza Strip during the past few days.

This came during a meeting organized by PNGO and human rights organizations to discuss the recent developments in the Gaza Strip, especially the attack by the security services in the Gaza Strip on the peaceful protests, and the subsequent arrests, beatings, house raids and vandalizing of belongings.

They also stressed their absolute rejection of all forms of repression and violation of freedoms and rights, whether by chase, arrest or intimidation, and the suppression of demonstrations and attacks on participants, stressing that actions of the security services are a flagrant violation of the principles of human rights and public freedoms, most importantly right to peaceful gathering and freedom of opinion and expression

The meeting also condemned the detention and assault on the Deputy Director of the Independent Commission of Human Rights (ICHR), lawyer Jamil Sarhan, and ICHR’s Baker al-Turkmani and field researchers in human rights organizations, as well as journalists, which constituted a serious violation of the freedom of human rights defenders and the media.

Participants in the meeting demand stopping the attacks on demonstrators, ensuring their right to demonstrate, investigating violations, and establishing guarantees that such attacks will not reoccur.

The meeting called on the victims of the attacks to go to human rights organizations and ICHR to document the violations committed against them for their legal follow-up.

Furthermore, they stressed their support for the demands of the movement, especially abolishing taxes and supporting people’s resilience in facing the difficult living challenges resulting from the Israeli blockade and consequences of the political division and lack of funding.

The meeting considers that achieving reconciliation and ending the internal division is an approach to solve the crises and problems in the Gaza Strip.