5 Palestinian prisoners to be released by end of detention

The Israeli Prison Services and Higher Committee of the Leadership of the Strike have agreed to an end to the hunger strike of five Palestinians through an Egyptian-brokered deal, in exchange for their release after their administrative detention period, Legal Advisor to the Palestinian Prisoners' Club Jawad Boulos said. The prisoners involved are Bilal Thiab, Thaer Halahleh, Hasan As-Safady, Omar Abu Shallal, and Ja'afar Izz al-Din; their strikes lasting for periods ranging from 50-79 days, he explained. The meeting conducted in al-Ramla Prison in attendance of the five prisoners and the Higher Committee representatives for Palestinian factions extended for many hours and concluded that they were to be transferred to a civil hospital for treatment, Boulos indicated. Talks are underway regarding the release of prisoner Mahmoud al-Sarsak and his return to Gaza, but no date has been set yet, he remarked. The agreement followed a series of negotiations still underway in al-Ramla Prison to close files for the rest of the hunger strikers. Israeli Prime Minister spokesman Ofir Gendelman has asserted that one of the preconditions over the agreement's validity is the end of all hunger strikes among prisoners, adding that the agreement will become effective after 72 hours of this implementation. Senior Islamic Jihad official Khaled al-Batash had underlined late Monday that the agreement would be invalid if it did not involve the release of the prisoners who have been on hunger strike since a period of around 78 days; Bilal Thiab, Thaer Halahleh, Ja'afar Izz al-Din and others.