Hundreds of Lebanese people today gathered at Riad al-Soloh's square (downtown Beirut) to mark the International Day for closing al-Khiam Center.

Detainees' relatives, popular committees, NGOs, parties, officials, ministers and MPs took part in the rally which urged the international community to put an end to the plight of around 140 Lebanese held without charges or trial in the Israeli occupation's prison in al-Khiam.

The call was made by the Follow-up Committee for Lebanese Detainees in Israeli prisons (FCLD) that invited the Lebanese to take part in the Thursday Mothers' sit-in and hunger strike in front of the ESCWA HQ in Beirut.

Prisoners' mothers hold a weekly meeting every Thursday to draw attention to the tragedy of their sons in Israeli prisons; their action is called "Thursday Mothers".

A box was put in the square in which letters addressed to the UN and its Secretary General Kofi Annan were put. Speeches were delivered and plays were performed before the activity was concluded with a candle-light vigil for the detainees.

The parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee today held an extraordinary meeting that was headed by the panel's chairman MP Ali al-Khalil to discuss the hostage-prisoners' affair and how to end their ordeal.

For its part, the Arab League reiterated its absolute solidarity with Lebanon and the detainees' families.

The League called on the international community to pressurize the Israeli occupation forces into releasing all the Lebanese prisoners and implementing the UN Security Council's Resolution 425.