Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails on hunger strike since April 17 have ended their protest under a deal brokered by the Red Cross, Palestinian and Israeli sources said on Saturday. Palestinian Prisoners Club chief Qaddura Fares said an agreement had been reached between the strikers and Israeli authorities on improving their conditions. 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. Demonstrations in support of the prisoners had been held across the occupied West Bank, leading to repeated bloody clashes with Israeli security forces. They come as the 50th anniversary nears of Israel’s seizure of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, in the Six-Day War.

Source: Egypt Independent May 27, 2017 07:18 UTC