Red Ribbons event in London highlights escalating crisis facing Palestinian hostages

LONDON – Emotional testimonies, legal arguments and political interventions dominated a high-profile solidarity event held at SOAS University of London on Friday evening, where speakers warned that the situation of Palestinian hostages held in Israeli detention has reached what they described as “unprecedented levels of brutality” amid the ongoing war on Gaza.

The event, organised by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) in partnership with the Red Ribbons Campaign, brought together a panel of prominent speakers including Dr Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative; Tayb Ali, Director of the ICJP; lawyer Khaled Mahajneh; Palestinian activist and Soumoud Flotilla spokesperson Saif Abu Keshek; and human rights campaigner Katrina Graham.

Speakers repeatedly argued that while global attention remains focused on Gaza, conditions inside Israeli prisons and detention facilities have deteriorated sharply since October 2023, with thousands of Palestinian hostages held outside the reach of international monitors.

Adnan Hmidan: “A struggle to keep Palestinian hostages visible”

Opening the event, Red Ribbons Campaign coordinator Adnan Hmidan said the initiative was created to ensure that Palestinian hostages “are not erased from international consciousness”.

He stressed that those held in Israeli detention include journalists, doctors, students, women and children, many of whom are detained without charge under administrative detention orders.

Hmidan said the continued denial of access to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the restrictions on family visits have deepened the isolation of detainees and intensified their suffering.

“The red ribbon is a commitment that these people will not be forgotten,” he said, adding that the campaign seeks to maintain sustained international pressure until accountability is achieved.

Khaled Mahajneh: “A parallel war inside the prisons”

Palestinian lawyer Khaled Mahajneh delivered one of the most emotionally charged interventions of the evening, describing what he called a “parallel war” being waged inside Israeli prisons alongside the military assault on Gaza.

Mahajneh said conditions for Palestinian hostages have deteriorated significantly, citing widespread reports of starvation, medical neglect, prolonged isolation and systematic humiliation.

He argued that recent legislative proposals, including those introducing expanded use of the death penalty and mass trials for detainees from Gaza, represent an attempt to normalise what he described as an already “extreme and unlawful reality” inside the detention system.

Mahajneh stressed that many prisoners are effectively facing life-threatening conditions regardless of formal legal procedures, due to what he described as systemic deprivation of food, medical care and basic dignity.

One of the most striking moments he recounted involved Palestinian journalist Mohammed Arab, who reportedly asked during a prison visit to have his own appearance described to him because he had been unable to see his reflection for an extended period.

He also described a recent visit to imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, noting that Barghouti appeared deeply concerned with the condition of other detainees despite his own long-term isolation.

Mahajneh said the repeated message he hears from inside detention facilities is simple: “Save us.”

Mustafa Barghouti: apartheid and political escalation

Dr Mustafa Barghouti argued that new Israeli legislative measures should be understood within what he described as a wider apartheid system.

He said the laws establish separate legal frameworks for Palestinians and Israeli Jews living under the same authority, entrenching structural discrimination.

Barghouti warned that the proposals reflect an escalating political culture of revenge following 7 October, and what he described as a widening acceptance of extreme policies within Israeli political discourse.

He also referred to testimonies alleging serious abuses inside detention facilities, calling for international investigations and accountability mechanisms.

Tayb Ali: “Legislating discrimination”

ICJP director and lawyer Tayb Ali focused on the legal implications of the proposed legislation, describing it as a “structural departure from fundamental principles of justice”.

He said the laws appear designed to target Palestinians as a collective category, removing judicial discretion through mandatory sentencing provisions in certain cases.

Ali criticised the reliance on military courts, noting their high conviction rates and the admissibility of evidence that would not meet standards in ordinary criminal justice systems.

He warned that accelerated procedures risk undermining the right to appeal and meaningful judicial review, effectively eroding basic due process protections.

According to Ali, the legislation, alongside plans for mass trials of Palestinian detainees, raises serious concerns under international humanitarian and human rights law.

Saif Abu Keshek: silencing solidarity and fragmenting Palestine

Palestinian activist Saif Abu Keshek said Israel is not only targeting Palestinians but also attempting to criminalise solidarity movements internationally.

He argued that authorities seek to fragment the Palestinian cause into separate issues—prisoners, Gaza, refugees and settlements—thereby obscuring its historical and political roots.

Abu Keshek warned that Western political complicity plays a key role in sustaining these dynamics, while activists increasingly face criminalisation and repression.

He added that the Palestinian struggle has become part of a broader global fight over civil liberties, justice and political freedom.

Katrina Graham: “A limited experience compared to Palestinians”

Campaigner Katrina Graham recounted her experience aboard the Sumud flotilla attempting to challenge the blockade on Gaza, including her detention by Israeli authorities.

She referenced encounters with Israeli officials and described mistreatment during her detention, while emphasising that her experience was minor compared with the daily reality faced by Palestinian hostages.

“If this is how activists with European passports are treated,” she said, “we must ask what is happening to Palestinians inside this system every day.”

Jeremy Corbyn voices support

Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn also took part in the event, expressing solidarity with Palestinian hostages and calling for greater international scrutiny of their conditions.

His participation reflected growing concern among sections of British political and civil society over reports of abuses in Israeli detention facilities and the continued denial of basic rights to detainees.

A call for urgent international action

Speakers throughout the evening stressed that while global attention remains focused on Gaza, the situation of Palestinian hostages inside Israeli prisons continues largely out of sight.

They urged international institutions, governments and civil society organisations to take urgent action to address what they described as a deepening humanitarian and legal crisis.

As the event concluded, the audience rose in prolonged applause, but the prevailing tone remained one of urgency rather than closure, underscoring repeated calls for accountability, access and international intervention.

Read more:

• Red Ribbons Campaign and Sumoud Flotilla Urge 46 Governments to Act for Palestinian Prisoners and Hostages
• Red Ribbons and ICJP to Host Pivotal London Event Confronting Palestinian “Prisoner Execution Law”
• Red Ribbons Campaign Launches Global Online Action Against Israeli “Prisoner Execution Law”