(Gaza) Rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Tuesday morning after reports of the death in Israeli custody of Khader Adnane, a senior member of the Islamic Jihad movement who had been on a hunger strike for more than 80 days.
The Israeli army said in a statement that three rockets were fired in total, adding that they fell into vacant lots.
Khader Adnane, a native of the northern occupied West Bank, had been imprisoned numerous times by Israel and had gone on several hunger strikes, becoming a symbol for the Palestinians.
The Israeli prison administration announced in a statement the death of a prisoner affiliated with Islamic Jihad, “found unconscious in his cell” and then hospitalized.
The Islamic Jihad and the Palestinian Prisoners Club, an association for the defense of the rights of Palestinians detained by Israel, confirmed to AFP the death of Khader Adnane at the age of 45.
He began his hunger strike from the start of his incarceration on February 5, the prison administration said, adding that he was suspected of belonging to a terrorist organization.
Israel “will pay the price for this crime,” said Islamic Jihad in a statement, a movement considered “terrorist” by Israel, the United States and the European Union.
“The free hero, Khader Adnane, died as a martyr because of a crime committed by the enemy in front of the world, which approves of injustice and terrorism, protects and covers it,” added Islamic Jihad.
President of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, Qaddoura Fares, said he was the first Palestinian detainee to die in custody in Israel from a hunger strike.
Administrative detention
Shortly after the announcement of his death, rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip where Islamic Jihad has a strong presence, AFP journalists noted.
In August 2022, three days of clashes between Israel and Islamic Jihad caused the death of 49 Palestinians, including 12 members of Islamic Jihad according to the movement, and at least 19 children according to the UN.
Around 200 rockets were fired by Islamic Jihad towards Israel, injuring three.
A truce agreement had been brokered by Egypt.
On Friday, Khader Adnane’s wife, Randa Moussa, explained that he refused “any assistance, any medical examination”.
“He is in a cell where the conditions of detention are very difficult. They [Israël] refused to transfer him to a civilian hospital and to allow his lawyer to visit,” she added.
The prisoner “refused to undergo medical examinations and receive treatment”, according to the Israeli prison administration.
He had been placed in administrative detention, a controversial provision that allows Israel to detain Palestinians without charge or trial.