Palestinian prisoner Khalil Awawdeh suspends hunger strike following release deal

Palestinian prisoner Khalil Awawdeh ended a hunger strike lasting over 160 days on Wednesday after Israel agreed to his release in October, his lawyer said.

Awawdeh, 40, launched the hunger strike shortly after his arrest in December 2021 in protest of being held by Israel without charge or trial, a practice known as administrative detention.

Until he is discharged on Oct. 2, Awawdeh will remain in hospital for treatment, his lawyer, Ahlam Haddad, told Reuters.

Haddad said Awawdeh has subsisted only on water for months and warned last week that he could “die at any moment” due to his deteriorating health.

Egyptian mediators recently pushed for Awawdeh’s release under a ceasefire agreement to end three days of fighting between Israel and the militant Islamic Jihad group that left 49 people dead in Gaza.

No comment was immediately available from the Israeli military, defense ministry or prison service.