April 1, 2012

JERUSALEM (JTA) — A Palestinian woman jailed in Israel, who ended a 43-day hunger strike last week, has been deported from Israel to Gaza.

Hana Shalabi, a member of Islamic Jihad, agreed March 29 to end her hunger strike and be freed in exchange for spending the next three years in Gaza.

The Palestinian Ma’an news agency said Shalabi, 30, would not be allowed to see her parents and other relatives before crossing over to Gaza through the Erez crossing. Shalabi is from Jenin in the West Bank.

Shalabi undertook the hunger strike to protest being held under administrative detention without charges being brought against her. Human rights groups expressed concern for Shalabi’s life toward the end of her hunger strike. 

 A prisoner can be held in administrative detention, without charges being brought, for up to four months; it can also be renewed.

Shalabi was the third Palestinian prisoner exchanged for captive soldier Gilad Shalit to be re-arrested. Shalabi served 25 months in administrative detention prior to being set free. She was the second Palestinian to reach a deal with Israeli authorities to end a hunger strike. Khader Adnan ended his 66-day hunger strike in mid-February when Israeli prosecutors agreed that his administrative detention would not be renewed.

At least 23 other Palestinian political prisoners are on hunger strikes to protest the use of administrative detention as an indefinite form of detention without charge or trial, according to Physicians for Human Rights.

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