The committee is set to hold a press conference later where it is expected to publicly address the decision.

Knesset member Mohammad Barakeh (Hadash-Ta`al) said the hunger strike was stopped after the committee was able to achieve its first objective.

"The Police Investigation Unit's first decision would not have stood the test in the Supreme Court," he said. "Now, after the decision to reexamine the case, we will focus on our new battle."

"We will not accept the reexamination be carried out by the Police Investigation Unit, because the police cannot assess itself. We demand that an investigative judge head the team," he said.

According to Barakeh, the recent decision is not only a result of the hunger strike, but also due to public pressure from both the Jewish and Arab sectors.

Families: No faith in the police

Family members told Ynet Thursday they hope the Supreme Court would bring them justice, five years after the riots.

Hassan Asla, father of Asil who was killed in the riots, has called for those who decided to close the case to resign, "from the justice minister to the last police investigator on the case."

"I think it is a coordinated move between the justice minister, state prosecution, attorney general and Police Investigation Unit," he said. "The Police Investigation Unit is not professional or truthful. I no longer have faith in it; its job was to be carried out under criticism from human rights and criminal specialists."

According to Asla, the Police Investigation Unit's change in decision is the result of pressure placed on the department by the victims' families and Arab sector.

"The Police Investigation Unit degraded the case and only under pressure have they changed their minds," he said.

"They are trying to place obstacles before us to hinder our appeal to the Supreme Court. We will go the Supreme Court, it will determine. I ask, is there a neutral judge in Israel after the Or Commission?" he said. 

Knesset member Jamal Zahalka (National Democratic Assembly) said Thursday, "the police Investigation Unit's decision was designed to absorb public pressure. It was a move intended to delay an appeal to the Supreme Court."

"The prosecution, who is supposed to reexamine the affair, has a clear stance and it is voiced through the attorney general who supported the police conclusions," he said. "Our demand is not to reassess, but to hide the report and launch a new investigation."

Meanwhile, a former senior Justice Ministry official slammed the ministry's decision Thursday to reexamine the case.

"What is the significance of reexamining it? They made their decision! The decision should have been thought of 8,000 times before it was made and the moment the decision was determined - that's it, you don't need a press conference or a reexamination of the process," he said. 

Protest march: From Kfar Jat to Umm el-Fahem

The families of the 13 Israeli-Arabs killed during the October 2000 riots began a protest march earlier, from Kfar Jat to a protest tent set up iat the entrance to Umm el-Fahem.

The march is set to end Saturday with a rally in Sahnin to mark five years since the riots.

"We are marching in the footsteps of those who died. We are trying to recreate their last moments, to be close to them and to refresh the memory of October 2000, when 13 flowers were picked and 13 dreams were severed," Asla said.  

- Roee Nahmias and Tal Rosner contributed to the report