A heaviness hung over Gaza on the night of May 2 following the news of the martyrdom of Khader Adnan, who died earlier on the same day as he neared his 90th day on hunger strike in Israeli prison. The veteran of five hunger strikes, Khader Adnan had become a symbol of Palestinian defiance and steadfastness.
A revered public figure in Gaza, Adnan’s death left many in Gaza frustrated and angry, which was reflected in the observation of a general strike in mourning over the slain Palestinian icon of steadfastness. Gaza’s Palestinian factions, especially the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) to which Adnan belonged, stated that the deliberate killing of Adnan will not go unnoticed.
“The Islamic Jihad warns Israel that it will respond decisively to this crime,” PIJ leader Ahmed Mudallal told breaking news. “It’s as if [Israeli National Security Minister Itamar] Ben-Gvir’s law calling for the execution of prisoners has already passed, and has begun through medical neglect,” he added.
After his death in the morning, Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza fired rockets toward Israel later in the afternoon.
Israeli drones and warplanes were quick to occupy Gaza’s skies after the “joint operations room” of the Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza took responsibility for the rockets, stating that they were an initial response to Israel’s killing of Adnan. A statement put out by the joint room stated: “The Palestinian factions mourn Khader Adnan, and have responded to this crime by firing rockets toward the occupier.”
Rockets and Israeli bombardment
The night of May 2 witnessed heavy rocket fire from Gaza, as local media reported that over 70 rockets were launched toward Israel. The barrage was met with swift Israeli airstrikes on several locations throughout Gaza, pushing many in Gaza to anticipate another war on the besieged coastal enclave.
On the morning of May 3, the Gaza Ministry of Health stated that the Israeli shelling had killed a Palestinian man, 58-year-old Hashel Mubarak, in the northern Gaza Strip.
“A huge stone brick fell on Hashel’s body while he was sleeping peacefully in his home in Beit Lahiya,” his family said in a statement on social media. “The stone was flung from its place due to the heavy bombardment of the area.”
Despite the heavy Israeli response, this did not deter the response of Palestinian resistance factions. “We will be loyal to our martyrs’ blood and our prisoners’ sacrifices, and we will respond to any crime committed by the enemy,” the joint room’s statement read. “The resistance will always serve as our people’s sword and shield, ready to protect them wherever they are.”
A symbol of resistance
PIJ leaders and supporters in Gaza expressed anger on the streets and over social media, honoring Adnan’s long history of successful hunger strikes and his legacy of fighting for his freedom and the freedom of all political prisoners.
“The feelings are motivated by anger and revenge towards a criminal occupier and its sadism,” PIJ leader Mudallal told breaking news. “This is a full-fledged crime committed by the Zionist occupation against the leader Khader Adnan, who is a great Palestinian figure and well-known internationally,” he added.
“Khader Adnan is the symbol of resistance for the PIJ and all Palestinians everywhere,” he continued. “He lived with resistance fighters in the West Bank, he has honored martyrs with inspiring speeches, and he was always there to greet Palestinian prisoners whenever they were released from prison.”
Perhaps more than anything else, Adnan earned his iconic status through his unbroken determination to see his hunger strikes through to the very end, resolving to gain freedom or death. He won his freedom time and time again with nothing but an empty stomach, but this time death came knocking after 86 days, finally gaining the martyrdom he sought.