Israel has released a Palestinian prisoner who staged a 56-day hunger strike that brought him near death in a protest against the controversial procedure that allows detainees to be held indefinitely without charge.



Khader Adnan was greeted to a hero’s welcome in his village near Jenin, in the northern West Bank, that included fireworks, songs and flags for Islamic Jihad, the militant movement to which Israel says he belongs. Residents wore shirts with Adnan’s picture.

The bespectacled 37-year-old, thin and with a long beard, was released before dawn on Sunday in an apparent effort to limit attention to the move, which was initially expected at midday.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli prison authority confirmed the release but provided no other details.

Islamic Jihad congratulated Adnan in a statement applauding his “victory”, and said a celebration was being organised in his village of Arraba for Sunday evening.

Adnan had been held for a year under administrative detention, which allows imprisonment without charge for renewable periods of six months indefinitely. Of the 5,686 Palestinian prisoners currently held by Israel, 379 are detained under the procedure.

His hunger strike, which had brought him near death by the time it concluded last month, had sparked warnings from the Palestinian government that it held Israel responsible for his fate. Regular protests were organised in support of him.

Adnan ended his hunger strike on 28 June after Israel agreed to release him, at which point he was transferred to an Israeli hospital.

An Israeli official said at the time that the deal was made possible by Adnan withdrawing his demand that Israel undertake never again to place him under administrative detention.

The official said Adnan’s deteriorating health and appeals from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Palestinian Authority had contributed to the decision to release him.

He was detained a year ago, shortly after the kidnapping and murder of three young Israelis, in response to which Israeli soldiers arrested hundreds of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The killings were part of an upsurge in violence in the runup to the 2014 Gaza war.

Adnan had previously gone on hunger strike for 66 days in 2012 to protest against his detention. He was released at the end of the protest, during which he had ingested vitamins and salt. He refused to swallow anything except water during his most recent detention.

A long list of Palestinian prisoners has gone on hunger strike, including nearly 2,000 in 2012, to protest against the administrative detention policy.



The Israeli government in mid-June renewed efforts for legislation that would allow prisoners to be force-fed when their lives are in danger, sparking criticism from health experts and rights groups.

The bill was initially approved by the government in June 2014 at the height of another mass hunger strike of Palestinian prisoners, during which 80 were taken to hospital.

The Palestinian leadership submitted a report to the international criminal court last week that included the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.