Israel Rearrests Former Hunger Striker

The Israeli army rearrested a Palestinian former prison hunger striker in the West Bank on Wednesday, nearly a year after his release, a Palestinian official said.

Thaer Halahla, 35, who was held without charge by Israel for almost two years until June 2012, was rearrested in Ramallah, an official in the Palestinian Authority's ministry for prisoners' affairs told Agence France Presse.

Since his rearrest, Halahla has been beaten by soldiers, "suffering injuries to his face and feet," a prisoners' rights group quoted his lawyer as saying.

An Israeli military court remanded him in custody for 12 days, the Prisoners Club said in a statement.

Halahla's lawyer said he would appeal the court's decision.

The Israeli army confirmed Halahla's arrest, but gave no further details.

Halahla was released on June 5 last year after a 76-day hunger strike in protest at Israeli prison conditions.

He was one of more than 1,500 prisoners who fasted for varying periods until May 14, 2012, when a deal with Israeli authorities for better conditions was struck.

Under what Israel calls "administrative detention," suspects can be imprisoned without trial by order of a military court. Such orders can be renewed indefinitely for up to six months at a time.