The death by hunger strike of a well-known Palestinian prisoner opens the door to a new escalation of violence

Jader Adnan, a well-known Islamic Jihad prisoner whose image could be seen on posters and murals in the Palestinian territories, died Tuesday after 86 days on hunger strike in an Israeli jail.

According to the Israel Prison Service, he was found "unconscious in his cell" at Nitzan prison near Tel Aviv, where he "had refused medical tests and treatment."

The hospital to which he was rushed confirmed his death.

Adnan was 44 years old, in prison for the 12th time and awaiting trial since February.

He is the first Palestinian to die behind bars for an individual hunger strike, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Association.

Another six have lost their lives for the same reason since 1970, but always in coordinated collective actions.

This measure of pressure is common among those called by Israel "security prisoners", that is, Palestinians imprisoned for actions related to the conflict, but are usually released when their health deteriorates significantly.

After learning of his death, three rockets have been launched from Gaza.

Adnan had been detained 12 times and spent eight years in Israeli prisons.

The majority, in "administrative detention", a controversial legal tool that allows prolonging the deprivation of liberty for even years without the need to file charges and without the accused, nor his lawyer, knowing what he is accused of.

During those years, Adnan had already gone on at least three other hunger strikes.

On this occasion, he was accused of supporting terrorism, belonging to a terrorist organization and inciting violence, as a member of Islamic Jihad.

Considered a terrorist by Israel, the United States and the European Union, Islamic Jihad has relatively little weight, especially in the West Bank, but it is one of the most combative organizations thanks to the weapons and financing it receives from Iran.

"Our fight continues and the enemy will realize once again that his crimes will not go unanswered," the organization said in a statement.

high alert

No militia has claimed responsibility for firing three rockets into Israel from Gaza.

They did not cause personal or material damage, but they have led the Israeli Army to cancel a training session that was scheduled for this Tuesday around the strip.

Shortly after, an Israeli was slightly injured by shrapnel when someone, who fled, opened fire on cars passing near a Jewish settlement in the north of the occupied West Bank.

It is the area where Adnan was born, born in Arab, near the city of Jenin.

There have also been clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli security forces in other parts of the West Bank.

The Israel Prison Service is on high alert for fear of riots.

A Palestinian throws a burning tire at Israeli soldiers in the West Bank city of Hebron, after the death of Jader Adnan, this Tuesday. MUSSA ISSA QAWASMA (REUTERS)

The NGO Physicians for Human Rights Israel said in a statement that it had been trying for weeks to convince the Israeli Ministry of Health, the nearby Kaplan Hospital and the Israel Prison Service to keep Adnan at the medical center because only there they could follow up. adequately his vital signs and save his life in case of deterioration.

The president of the NGO, Lina Qasem-Hasan, visited him a few days ago and alerted the institutions about his state of health.

“These attempts were unsuccessful, including personal appeals and court actions.

Israel's security service refused the request of Jader [Adnan] and his family members to visit him in prison when it was clear that it might be his last meeting.

This petition was brought before a court,

Adnan's lawyer, Jamal Khatib, has elaborated on this idea in statements to Israeli military radio: “We warned that he had to be hospitalized.

The preparation of the Prison Service clinic is not the same as that of a civilian hospital, which has the tools.

All the studies on this topic [hunger strikes] show that there is a real danger of death after 75 days.”

Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem are on a general strike to protest the death.

In a statement, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Mohamed Sthtaye, has accused the Israeli authorities of "deliberate murder" by "rejecting his request for release, neglecting him medically and keeping him in cell despite the seriousness of his condition." of health".

Palestinian diplomacy calls for an international investigation.

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