Israel's Supreme Court has suspended the detention of a Palestinian hunger striker after he suffered brain damage due to vitamin deficiency.
Mohammed Allaan broke his 65 day fast late last night after the Supreme Court's day long deliberations.
Allaan, 33, launched the strike to protest at being held without charge or trial. He was initially detained for alleged affiliation with Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian armed group. Allaan denies the affiliation.
The Supreme Court announced that Allaan, who doctors say has suffered brain damage, would remain hospitalised, but that his shackles would be removed and his family can visit him. It remains unclear whether the damage is reversible.
If Allaan's condition does not improve, his detention will be cancelled permanently, a Supreme Court spokesperson told Al Jazeera.
"[Allan] does not pose a danger because of his medical condition, and so the administrative order is not active now," Justice Rubinstein, who presided over the case, said.
The case has sparked a debate over Israel's practice of holding suspects for months without charge. Israel defends the practice as a necessary tool to stop attacks.
Yesterday Israel's public security minister expressed his concern that releasing Allaan would encourage more Palestinian detainees to wage hunger strikes.
Allaan's rapidly deteriorating health had caused a split between Israeli politicians, who recently enacted a new law demanding that he be force-fed, and medics, who refused to comply on the grounds that to do so would be unethical.
