Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan ends hunger strike

Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan today ended his 66-day hunger strike against his imprisonment in a deal that will see him released on April 17, the BBC reported.

Israeli officials said Adnan, a 33-year-old baker, had ended his protest after the decision was made to release him.

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Ofir Gendelman, a spokesperson from the Israeli Prime Minister's office, tweeted this morning that Adnan would go free if no new charges were laid against him.

Adnan, who is thought to be a leader of the Islamic Jihad group, has not eaten since his arrest in the West Bank in December.

Islamic Jihad has been classified by Israel as a terrorist organization, and the Israeli military said Adnan had been arrested "for activities that threaten regional security," the BBC reported.

The +972 blog of independent reporting from Israel and Palestine reported that Israel’s High Court of Justice had been due to hear a petition against Adnan's administrative detention.

However, the hearing was canceled and the petition was withdrawn following the decision to release Adnan.