Many Palestinian prisoners end hunger strike following deal

Scores of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons ended their weeks-long hunger strike following an agreement with the Israeli prison authorities, a Palestinian NGO announced today.

“The prisoners suspended their hunger–strike after reaching an agreement with the Israel Prisons Services,” Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, told Anadolu Agency.

“The prisoners did not acquiesce or surrender during their hunger strike,” Fares said, “and they emerged victorious at the end of their battle.”

Fares declined to reveal the terms of the agreement, but said that all details would be unveiled in a press conference later this morning.

About 120 Palestinian administrative detainees have remained on hunger strike for more than six weeks to protest their ongoing detention-without-charge by Israeli authorities.

They have been joined by scores of other Palestinian prisoners in a show of solidarity.

Israel’s policy of administrative detention allows it to detain Palestinian prisoners indefinitely without trial or charge. Administrative detention orders can range from one to six months in length and can be extended by Israeli military courts by up to five years.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, an NGO, some 5,270 Palestinians – including 191 in administrative detention – continue to languish in Israeli jails.