Egyptian-Israeli deal to end Palestinian prisoners' hunger strike

Israel has agreed to a proposal that would end a mass hunger strike by Palestinians in Israeli jails, according to an Egyptian official. An agreement was reached in Cairo Sunday on a proposal to end the hunger strike of the Palestinian prisoners, Issa Karaka, head of the Palestinian prison authority, told Al Jazeera. "We are now waiting for the hunger strikers' committee to determine their position," he added. Karaka told Al Jazeera the main points of the agreement were ensuring an end to solitary confinement of prisoners; allowing families of prisoners from Gaza to visit; and halting the renewal of "administrative detention", under which some prisoners deemed a security risk can be held indefinitely without charge. A Palestinian official who is close to the talks said the deal may be brought before the prisoners as early as Monday. The deal "should be presented to prisoners in the Israeli jails, possibly Monday morning, for endorsement before an official announcement," said the official, who was speaking under condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. Most of the prisoners that are on hunger strike have refused food for a month, but three have refused food for more than 70 days. The inmates launched the strike to press their demands for better conditions and an end to detention without trial. Under the draft agreement, administrative detention would be changed and prisoners would be either charged or released after they were detained.