‘Dad, come back’: Palestinians send radio messages to loved ones in Israeli jails

Ramallah, Palestinian Territories – Palestinians with relatives in Israeli prisons have been deprived of visiting rights during the Israel-Hamas war, opting instead to send messages to loved ones on a radio programme.

“Hello, this message is for my brother Islam. How are you, my brother?” said one greeting sent via a Palestinian radio show called Messages for the Prisoners.

“Your house is ready. When you get out, you will be all set to find someone to marry!”

The show on popular Palestinian station Radio Ajyal, based in the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, features personal messages from families that often end with the sentence: “We hope you will hear these words.”

Campaigners say the number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails has swelled to around 9,000, from about 5,200 before Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war.

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