Gilad Erdan
Gilad ErdanYoav Ari Dudkevitch, Flash 90

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) emphasized on Saturday night that the terrorists' hunger strike ended without them having received anything.

"The strike began with ludicrous and impractical demands such as placing an air conditioner in every cell, allowing prisoners to watch 20 television channels, providing newspapers and sneakers to each prisoner, providing classes for high school diplomas and academic degrees, and more," Erdan explained. (For the list of demands, see here.)

"Despite the large number of strikers, I made it very clear that we do not negotiate with terrorists.

"This morning, the terrorists finally understood that there is no point in continuing to strike, especially since they were being punished for it. They looked for a way out of their dilemma, and quickly decided to quit the strike after the Palestinian Authority agreed to take the Red Cross' place in paying for the terrorists' families' visits.

"The strike ended with a clear message to arch-terrorist Marwan Barghouti and his murderous friends: We do not negotiate with terrorists."

Meanwhile, Almagor Terror Victims Association expressed concern regarding the way the hunger strike ended.

Dr. Aryeh Bachrach, whose son Ohad was murdered in Wadi Qelt, said, "According to the Palestinian Authority, US President Donald Trump's intervention legitimized the terrorists' murderous acts, as does the budget provided by the Red Cross to transport the terrorists' families."

"The Public Security Ministry and the Cabinet needed to put their foot down and stand firm against the this legitimization. Instead, they gave in."

Yossi Tzur, whose son was murdered in a Haifa terror attack, said, "It is a moral embarrassment that we agreed to double the number of times terrorists are allowed to see their families each month, while Hamas refuses to release the bodies of two IDF soldiers."

"This feeds terror, and our hearts go out to the families, who suffer time and again the government's broken promises."

Hadas Mizrachi and Shmuel Landau, both of whom lost loved ones in terror attacks, said they tried to send a letter to Israel Prison Services last month, but were not allowed to.

"They slammed the gate in our faces, on orders from their superiors," Landau and Mizrachi said.