RAMALLAH: Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails on hunger strike since April 17 have ended their mass protest under a deal brokered by the Red Cross, Palestinian and Israeli sources said on Saturday.
Some 30 of the more than 800 hunger strikers had been hospitalised in recent days, raising fears of an escalation of clashes with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinian analysts hailed the deal as a victory for the hunger strikers after Israeli authorities repeatedly vowed not to negotiate with the prisoners.
Palestinian Authority prisoners' affair chief Issa Qaraqe said it had come after some 20 hours of talks between Israeli officials and strike leader Marwan Barghouti, a figure revered among Palestinians but reviled by many Israelis.
An Israel Prisons Service spokeswoman confirmed the hunger strike was over but said the deal had been reached not with prisoners' representatives but with the Palestinian Authority and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Israeli authorities conceded to one of the prisoners' main demands - that they should have two family visits a month instead of the one they were entitled to before the strike, the spokeswoman said.
The ICRC had warned on Thursday that its doctors who have been visiting the prisoners were concerned about "potential irreversible health consequences".
ICRC spokesman Jesus Serrano welcomed Saturday's end of the strike and said it would do all it could to facilitate the additional visits.
The resolution of the strike coincided with the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas had urged US counterpart Donald Trump to raise the issue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to the region earlier this week.
