Israel’s Ofer Prison. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – A 40-day hunger strike initiated by Palestinian terrorists and security prisoners in Israeli jails ended Friday night, following an agreement between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Red Cross to allow prisoners additional family visits.

Issa Qaraqe, the PA’s head of prisoner affairs, said Saturday that the prisoners “ended the strike after their demands were met.”

The Israel Prison Service said, “It was agreed that the Palestinian Authority would finance the resumption of the second monthly visit of the prisoners’ families, with the consent of Israel and the Red Cross.”

The hunger strike ended on the eve of the month-long Muslim fast of Ramadan, which commenced Saturday.

The strike, which began in March, was initiated by Palestinian arch-terrorist Marwan Barghouti and involved more than 1,100 Palestinian security prisoners in the Gilboa, Meggido, Nafha, Ketziot, Shikma, Ramon, Hadarim and Nitzan prisons. The vast majority of the prisoners were affiliated with the Palestinian Fatah movement. In early May, Barghouti was caught secretly eating in his prison cell during the hunger strike.