Israel frees Palestinian prisoner after 78-day hunger strike

GAZA, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Thursday freed a Palestinian prisoner who has been on a hunger strike for more than two months, the fifth similar case this year.

The release of Bilal Diab, an Islamic Jihad member, came after he has been refusing food for 78 days. He was greeted by supporters in his home city Jenin of northern West Bank.

Speaking to reporters, Diab said his release is another " victory against the occupation."

He was detained for the first time in 2003 for 80 months and then rearrested in 2010. He is the fifth person to be released in exchange for ending his hunger strike.

On May 14, 1,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons went on a hunger strike for 28 days to protest their prison conditions. They demanded an end to the use of solitary confinement and administrative detention as well as their families' visit rights. Enditem

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