TEL AVIV: Khader Adnan, who was affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, died in an Israeli prison on Tuesday after an 87-day hunger strike, Israeli prison authorities said.
Israel said Adnan “refused to undergo medical tests and receive medical treatment” and “was found unconscious in his cell” early on Tuesday morning.
“Our fight is continuing and the enemy will realise once again that its crimes will not pass without a response. Resistance will continue by all might and determination,” Islamic Jihad said in a statement.
“Khader Adnan has been executed in cold blood,” WAED Prisoners Association in Gaza told Reuters in response.
Adnan, 45, originally from the occupied city of Jenin, was a known Islamic Jihad figure in the West Bank, which was annexed by Israel in a 1967 war. Like Hamas, Islamic Jihad opposes peace deals between the Palestinians and Israel.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners Association, Adnan had been detained by Israel 12 times, spending around eight years in prison, mostly under administrative detention.
Israel accused Adnan of supporting terror, affiliation with a fighter group and incitement. He went on at least five hunger strikes during his various times in detention since 2004.
