High-profile Palestinian hunger striker dies in Israel custody
-
Loading... - Larisa Michael
- 02 May 2023
- 65 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Khader Adnan, a high-profile Palestinian prisoner, has died in Israeli custody after a nearly three-month hunger strike, Israel’s prison service announced Tuesday.
Adnan, a leader in the Islamic Jihad armed group, is the first Palestinian prisoner to die since Palestinian inmates began staging protracted hunger strikes about a decade ago.
His death raises the potential for renewed violence between Israel and Palestinian armed groups as violence surges in the West Bank.
Shortly after his death was announced, Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip fired a volley of rockets into southern Israel. Palestinians called for a general strike in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and protests were expected later in the day.
Palestinian prisoners have for years gone on lengthy hunger strikes to protest their detentions and to seek concessions from Israel. The tactic has become a last recourse for resistance against what Palestinians see as unjust incarcerations. The prisoners often become dangerously ill by refusing food but deaths are rare.
Palestinian prisoners are seen as national heroes and any perceived threat to them while in Israeli detention can touch off tensions or violence. Israel has often conceded to demands to release prisoners or shorten their sentences after they staged life-threatening hunger strikes.
Adnan, 45, began his strike shortly after being arrested on Feb. 5. Read More…
