Ramallah Khader Adnan, an Islamic Jihad activist, Tuesday agreed to end his 66-day hunger strike following a deal that will see him released on April 17.
After more than nine weeks on a hunger strike, Adnan became the Palestinian prisoner with by far the longest record of refusing food, Palestinian officials say.
A baker by trade, the 33-year-old Adnan began his hunger strike on December 18, a day after he was arrested near his home in the West Bank village of Araba near the northern town of Jenin.
"He will be released on Palestinian Prisoners' Day," Jawad Bolus, Adnan's lawyer, said at a press conference at the activist's home. "We will not forgive the Israelis for his deteriorating medical condition," he added.
Adnan started his hunger strike on December 18, a day after his arrest, when an Israeli investigator insulted his wife during questioning, Palestinian officials said.
Eisa Qaraqei, Minister of Detainees' Affairs, announced that the Palestinian National Authority will mark Palestinian Prisoners' Day at Adnan's home to give him a hero's welcome.
"The Israeli court decided to release Khader Adnan on April 17 and based on that he ended his hunger strike," Qaraqei said.
Ofir Gendelman, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the agreement meant that "if there's no new evidence against him, he will be released from custody on April 17," when a current, four-month detention order is to expire.
Appeal
The details of the deal were made public just hours before the Israeli Supreme Court was to hear an appeal against Adnan's detention without charge.
Adnan's wife, Randa Mousa, hailed the deal as a "victory" for her husband, whom medics said had lost more than 40 per cent of his body weight over the past nine weeks.
"He forced the occupation to give in to his demands and I hope he returns safe to us," she was quoted as saying.
Adnan's protest attracted international attention and put the spotlight on Israel's use of administrative detention, a military procedure which allows suspects to be held without charge. The UN has declared such detentions a violation of the international law.
Rights groups have condemned the conditions in which Adnan was being held at Ziv hospital in the northern town of Safed, where he was shackled to the bed by chains on both legs and on one arm.
His case has sparked demonstrations across the Occupied Territories, with thousands of people taking part in protests yesterday in the West Bank cities of Nablus, Jenin, Hebron and Ramallah.
A protest was also scheduled in Gaza City.
In Ramallah, shops shut down as part of a general strike in solidarity with Adnan, and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails were also on hunger strike in support of the detainee.
— With inputs from agencies
