Shalabi: I am not a deportee

Former hunger-striker Hana Shalabi said Monday she does not consider herself a deportee, after arriving in the Gaza Strip a day earlier under a deal to end her detention without charge. "I am happy to be amongst family and loved ones" in Gaza, she told Ma'an from Gaza City's Shifa hospital. Shalabi, from Jenin, ended a 43-day hunger strike on Thursday after reaching a deal with Israeli authorities that she will be sent to Gaza for three years before returning home. She arrived in Gaza on Sunday to an official welcome by various factions, and was transferred to hospital, where her condition was described as no longer life-threatening. Human rights groups slammed the terms of her deal, and the International Committee of the Red Cross urged Israel "to comply with international humanitarian law, which prohibits Israel, whatever its motives, from forcibly transferring Palestinians to another territory." A joint statement from Addameer and PHR-Israel said they fear that the restriction of access of to Shalabi’s physician and lawyers, in addition to the prevention of family visits, were used as coercion. Members of the media surround Hana Shalabi as she is carried to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Sunday. (Reuters/Mohammed Salem) Shalabi told Ma'an on Monday that Israeli authorities tried to blackmail her to end her hunger-strike against detention without charge, but she drew strength from former hunger-striker Khader Adnan to resist these efforts. She expressed gratitude to Palestinians and "all the free people in the world" for supporting her during the strike. "I cannot find words to thank all those who supported me and sympathized with my cause," Shalabi told Ma'an. "I am proud of all of you, and I hereby confirm that I have moved from the field of direct confrontation with the (Israeli) occupation to the field of supporting all prisoners who face their jailers with a firm will and steadfastness," she said. She also thanked Palestinian media for covering her strike, as well as secretary-general of Islamic Jihad Ramadan Abdullah Shallah. Shalabi is being monitored by specialized nutritionists at the hospital while she recovers. Medics say her condition is stable but she will stay in hospital for a few days for medical precautions. Shifa Hospital Director Nasser al-Tatar told Ma'an that Shalabi has significant weight loss, low blood pressure and poor kidney function.