Palestinian protesters shutter Red Cross office in Ramallah

The offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross near the West Bank city of Ramallah were shuttered Monday amid protests over a Palestinian hunger striker detained by Israel, Palestinian media reported.

The move came a day after the Gaza branch of the Red Cross was briefly shut down due to protests over Mohammed al-Qiq, a journalist who has been on a hunger strike for 76 days in response to his detention without charge.

Palestinians have been urging the ICRC to intervene on Qiq’s behalf.

Protesters outside the al-Bireh branch in the West Bank told the Palestinian news agency Ma’an they were rallying against “the silence by international community organizations — namely the ICRC in Palestine — about Qiq.”

Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security service says Qiq was arrested last year for “terror activity” as part of Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip.

In Gaza, dozens of Palestinians have protested daily at the ICRC office in recent weeks, demanding the Red Cross help bring about Qiq’s release.

On Sunday, demonstrators tried to force their way into the building, smashing garage windows and causing other damage, prompting the NGO to temporarily shut its doors.

ICRC spokeswoman Suhair Zakkout said Monday that all normal activities were resumed after “discussions” with officials from Hamas. She declined to elaborate.

Last week, Israel’s Supreme Court lifted the order to hold Qiq under the controversial administrative detention law, but the court ruled that he needs permission to leave the hospital.

His relatives can now visit him, but Qiq’s lawyer Jawad Boulos said his client would keep up his 10-week hunger strike until he was fully free.

AP contributed to this report.