He refused food and any kind of treatment during his detention. Thus, after 86 days of hunger strike, Khader Adnanone of the leading exponents of the Islamic Jihad in West BankAnd died in prison provoking the harsh reaction of thePalestinian National Authoritywhich speaks of “intentional homicide” by the ‘Jewish state’, and by the main organizations that promise revenge. Meanwhile, in response to the news, the first ones were launched rockets from the Gaza Strip.
The news of the death was reported by the Israeli prison service according to which Adnan was found during the night senseless in his cell and was transferred to a nearby hospital. Shortly after his arrival, however, the doctors could not do anything but ascertain his death. The prison service then communicated that “the prisoner, arrested on 5 February, had refused to undergo medical visits and to receive treatment”. Instead, Adnan’s family accused the Israeli authorities of a series of serious negligence in his regards. “He was eliminated by the Israeli authorities,” said the Palestinian Detainees’ Association.
The news provoked an immediate reaction from the various souls of the organized groups. The word also spread quickly through the muezzin of the mosques of Gaza. Israel “will pay the price for Adnan’s death”, thundered Islamic Jihad which called for a general strike throughout Palestine. “His death will be a lesson for several generations, we will not abandon this commitment as long as Palestine remains under occupation”, reads a note. And the revenge seems to have already begun: three rockets were launched from the Strip towards southern Israel without causing any damage, while sirens sounded near the Kibbutz of Saad. As Tel Aviv decided to raise it state of alert around the enclave. It is not yet clear whether this is a reaction to the Islamist leader’s death, but in the north of the West Bank, near the settlement of Avnei Hefetz, a Palestinian opened fire wounding a 39-year-old Israeli citizen. The Defense Forces (IDF) have started the manhunt.
Also Hamas pointed the finger at Israel, stating through its spokesman Hazem Kassem that Tel Aviv bears “full responsibility for the death of Khader Adnan. She was a cold-blooded execution committed by the Israeli security services. The Palestinian people will not let this crime go unnoticed and will respond appropriately. The path of revolution and resistance will intensify.” Kassem also pointed the finger at the international community, stating that he “stands by and does not support the Palestinian prisoners, thus encouraging the occupation to continue its crimes“.
Even the PNA reacted harshly to the news of the death. It’s about “a willful homicide”said the PNA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyehannouncing that he would file a complaint with the International Criminal Court (Cpi). Adnan was arrested for the tenth time in February on suspicion of belonging to a terrorist organization. A protagonist of other hunger strikes in the past, the leader enjoyed great popularity among supporters of Jihad.