RAMALLAH, March 10, 2017 (WAFA) – A Palestinian detainee suspended his hunger strike on Friday upon reaching a deal with Israeli Prison Services, said Chairman of the Detainees’ Affairs Commission Issa Qaraqe.

Muhammad al-Qiq has suspended his 33-day hunger strike upon reaching a deal with Israeli Prison Services to be released on April 14.

Al-Qiq, 34-year old journalist, started his hunger strike on February 6 in protest of being held in administrative detention, Israel’s widely condemned policy of internment without charge or trial.

He was moved on Wednesday to the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Tel Aviv after his medical condition significantly deteriorated.

Originally coming from the Hebron district town of Dura, al-Qiq was released by Israel in May 2016 after going on a 94-day hunger strike in protest of his administrative detention.

He was re-detained on January 15 on Beit El military checkpoint, north of Ramallah, and given a new administrative detention sentence.

Under administrative detention rules, Israel may detain Palestinians without charge or trial and on the basis of secret evidence for up to six months, indefinitely renewable by Israeli military courts.

Many human rights groups have accused Israel of using administrative detention as a routine form of collective punishment against Palestinians, as well as using it when failing to obtain confessions during interrogation.

There are around 530 detainees serving administrative detention in several Israeli jails.

Palestinian detainees have continuously resorted to open-ended hunger strikes as a way to protest their illegal administrative detention and to demand an end to this policy, which violates international law.

K.F.