RAMALLAH – Israel Monday released Palestinian prisoner Hassan Al-Safadi after 166 days of hunger strike against administrative detention. Issa Qaraqi', the Palestinian Minister of Detainees and Ex-Detainees, said that the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) released Al-Safadi, 33, from the Hadarim Prison, near central Israeli city Netanya. Qaraqi' said that Al-Safadi, from the West Bank city of Nablus, went on hunger against the renewal of his administrative detention. The minister said that the prisoner has been in administrative detention for eight years. The minister said that Al-Safadi went on a hunger strike on June 21 and was promised by the Israeli security authorities to be released by the end of his administrative detention term. However, this term has now been renewed for another six months, prompting him to refuse water. The Palestinian prisoners are held in administrative detention indefinitely with no charges or trial. Some 1,500 prisoners went on a general hunger strike in June to end this practice as well as solitary confinement and the right to family visits. After 28 days, Israel came to an agreement with them under an Egyptian-brokered deal. Family visits to Gaza prisoners have been resumed, but under specific conditions. Those held under administrative detention were promised to be released unless there is fresh information provided to an Israeli military judge against them. This would see the release of nearly 220 prisoners. The Palestinian researcher and expert in prisoners' affairs Abdulnasser Farwaneh said recently that Israel is holding 4,600 prisoners in 23 prisons and detention camps in Israel and in the West Bank of whom 198 are children, 8 females, 14 members of Palestine Legislative Council. Farwaneh added that 23 prisoners have been in Israeli prisons for more than 25 years. The researcher said that 79 prisoners died in Israeli prisons due to torture and medical negligence. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had repeatedly said the Palestinians will not sign any final peace agreement before Israel shuts down all its prisons and releases all the Palestinian prisoners, which were rejected by Israel.
