Digital advocacy for the cause of Palestinian prisoners in occupation prisons: an analytical study between reality and the vision of prisoners released in the deal.

Abstract

This research presents an analytical attempt to understand the current reality of digital advocacy for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. It investigates the gap between prevailing digital discourse and the perspectives of freed prisoners who have experienced incarceration firsthand. The study is anchored in key turning points in contemporary Palestinian history, particularly following October 7, 2023, and the increased digital focus on prisoner issues after a prisoner exchange deal in early 2025, which included several long-term and high-profile detainees, using a qualitative descriptive-analytical methodology, the researcher conducted in-depth interviews with nine freed prisoners from diverse political and organizational backgrounds. The study applies James Grunig’s Situational Theory of Publics to analyze digital audience behavior based on three variables: problem recognition, constraint recognition, and level of involvement. The theory proved to be functionally relevant in analyzing Palestinian digital audiences, though the study recommends expanding it to address colonial and repressive political contexts, Findings indicate that current digital discourse suffers from symbolic and consumptive superficiality, portraying prisoners in emotional and individualistic terms while failing to reflect the collective, lived reality within prisons. Digital advocacy also lacks institutional engagement and strategic impact, with public interaction largely limited to symbolic gestures (likes, shares), rather than meaningful political or legal mobilization. This gap is linked to the absence of analytical framing, weak inter-organizational coordination, and the lack of a unified national platform grounded in the actual prisoner experience, while campaigns such as “Freedom Tunnel” and “Anhar al-Deek” achieved notable digital momentum, they remain exceptional and fragmented cases with limited global reach and sustainability. Interviews revealed that freed prisoners have the potential to play a vital role in shaping discourse, but their contributions are often curtailed due to Israeli surveillance and punitive measures. Several participants also expressed concern over the politicization and media exploitation of certain advocacy efforts, which undermines their credibility and national integrity.The study concludes with practical recommendations,including the development of a unified digital platform to empower free prisoners, the creation of multi-lingual human rights discourse, and the design of cumulative, historically grounded campaigns that transcend isolated events. It also calls for strategic networking with international legal and parliamentary channels. Ultimately, the study emphasizes that effective prisoner advocacy requires a sovereign digital narrative—crafted from within the prisoner experience—that reshapes collective awareness through a coherent, rights-based media strategy extending beyond reactive mobilization to proactive political engagement.