Israel has released Mahmoud Sarsak after a 95-day hunger strike.
The footballer was held for almost three years without trial or charge,
but was accused of having ties to a militant group.
Israel released Palestinian footballer Mahmoud Sarsak Tuesday after
holding him without trial for nearly three years. He agreed to end his
95-day hunger strike last month in exchange for medical treatment and an
early release.
Crowds received the former national team player with flowers, raising posters with his name. At Gaza's al-Shifa hospital, he emerged from an ambulance and kissed his parents and siblings.
Mohammed Jabarin, Sarsak's lawyer, told the Reuters news agency last month that there had been a "substantial deterioration in his health", and that he required hospital treatment.
Palestinians demostrated in June over Sarsak's imprisonment
Originally from the Gaza Strip, Sarsak was arrested in 2009 at Erez
under Israel's Unlawful Combatant Law, which allows the incarceration of
some Palestinians and Lebanese without trial. He was traveling from
Gaza through Israel to meet teammates in the occupied West Bank.
Sarsak, who shed nearly half his weight during the hunger strike, was accused of having ties to the Islamic Jihad militant group. He denies the allegation and was never formally charged.
Israel has released three other Palestinians who agreed to end their hunger strikes in exchange for release over the past few months.
His incarceration sparked a response from FIFA, who expressed concern over his detention. They urged in a statement for all Palestinian footballers held by Israel to be given their "right to due process".
dr/msh (Reuters, dpa, AFP)
Crowds received the former national team player with flowers, raising posters with his name. At Gaza's al-Shifa hospital, he emerged from an ambulance and kissed his parents and siblings.
Mohammed Jabarin, Sarsak's lawyer, told the Reuters news agency last month that there had been a "substantial deterioration in his health", and that he required hospital treatment.
Palestinians demostrated in June over Sarsak's imprisonmentSarsak, who shed nearly half his weight during the hunger strike, was accused of having ties to the Islamic Jihad militant group. He denies the allegation and was never formally charged.
Israel has released three other Palestinians who agreed to end their hunger strikes in exchange for release over the past few months.
His incarceration sparked a response from FIFA, who expressed concern over his detention. They urged in a statement for all Palestinian footballers held by Israel to be given their "right to due process".
dr/msh (Reuters, dpa, AFP)
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