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Israel frees Palestinian who waged 103-day hunger strike

By AFP - Nov 26,2020 - Last updated at Nov 26,2020

Palestinian detainee Maher Al Akhras arrives at his home in the West Bank village of Seylat Al Dhahr, south of Jenin city, following his release by Israeli authorities, on Thursday (AFP photo)

NABLUS, Palestinian Territories — Israel on Thursday released a Palestinian who waged a 103-day hunger strike to protest Israeli rules allowing his detention without charge, the Palestinian Prisoner's Club said.

Maher Al Akhras, arrested over alleged membership of a militia group, was transferred from a Tel Aviv hospital to Nablus' AlNajah University Hospital in the occupied West Bank, the prisoners' rights group said in a statement.

A decision on releasing him to return home will follow "a medical assessment of his condition", Al Najah hospital medical director Abdul-Karim Al Barqawi said.

Akhras, 49, was arrested near Nablus in July and put in administrative detention, a policy that Israel uses to hold suspected militants without charge.

The father of six launched his fast to protest a four-month detention order, which had been due to end on November 26.

Akhras, who been arrested by Israel several times previously, ended his hunger strike after Israeli authorities committed to not extending his detention beyond that date.

Israel's administrative detention policy, inherited from the British mandate of Palestine, allows the internment of prisoners without charge for renewable periods of up to six months each time.

Around 355 Palestinians were being held under administrative detention orders as of August, including two minors, according to Israeli human rights group B'Tselem.

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