Israeli prison authorities announced that Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Khader Adnan died today, Tuesday, in an Israeli prison after a hunger strike that lasted 87 days. The prison administration stated that Adnan "refused to undergo medical examinations and receive medical treatment, and was found unconscious in his cell this morning." It added that he was subsequently transported to a hospital where his death was announced.
Khader Adnan’s lawyer, Jamil Al-Khatib, mentioned, "After the thirty-sixth day of his detention, we requested to transfer Adnan to a civil hospital for better monitoring, but the request was met with obstinacy and refusal by the Israeli prison authorities." He also noted, "We requested Adnan's release on bail, but the occupying court rejected it."
**Three Rockets Launched in Response to Adnan's Death**
Shortly after this news, sirens sounded in communities near the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli military confirmed it had detected the launch of three rockets from Gaza towards Israel, which landed in an open area and were not intercepted. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the Israeli government fully responsible for "the crime that led to the death of the prisoner." Meanwhile, Hamas stated in a statement that "Adnan's death after his hunger strike is a cold-blooded execution carried out by the Israeli prison service," emphasizing that "his blood will fuel the escalation of revolutionary and resistant action against the occupation."
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh stated that "the Israeli army committed a crime of assassination against Khader Adnan by rejecting his release request and neglecting him medically." The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement vowed in a statement to retaliate "after the death of leader Adnan," declaring, "Our fight will continue and will not stop, and the criminal enemy will realize once again that its crimes will not go unpunished and that resistance will continue with all strength, determination, and steadfastness."
Palestinian factions and forces in Jenin held Israel "fully responsible for the crime of assassinating prisoner Adnan." The Wa'ad Association for Prisoners in Gaza responded to this by stating that "Adnan was killed and executed in cold blood with clear complicity from what is known as the prison service and the Zionist security agencies."
**Tension and High Alert in Ofer Prison**
The Palestinian news agency reported "gas suffocations among the prisoners after tension and alert in Ofer prison." The emergency committee of the prisoner movement stated that "the prison administration bears responsibility for the crime of murder, and mourning will continue until a response is made to the crime," urging all factions to "be at the level of the event and assume responsibility regarding the assassination."
The Prisoners' Media Office reported "a communication blackout between the leadership of the prisoner movement and Ofer prison following the death of prisoner Adnan" and warned the prison administration against the risks of targeting any prisoner. The Palestinian Authority for Prisoners' Affairs announced the suspension of "work before the military courts of the occupation today in protest against the death of prisoner Adnan," demanding the Israeli army to hand over "his body immediately for burial in a manner befitting his history." They noted that "the prisoner movement in Ofer prison is closing all sections, refusing to receive food, and declaring general mobilization."
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club announced "a high alert in the military Ofer prison west of Ramallah, and the prison administration is using gas against the prisoners." Adnan, 45 years old, was from the occupied city of Jenin and was a leader of the Islamic Jihad movement in the West Bank.
