Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan stops hunger strike, due to be released

July 1, 2015



Khader Adnan, a senior member of the (PIJ) movement, has stopped his hunger strike. According to media reports on Monday, Adnan ceased his strike after achieving an agreement with Israel entailing his release from administrative detention. Adnan's strike lasted over 50 days, and he was in mortal danger for the last couple of weeks. Due to his severe deterioration, Israel was forced to hospitalize him, and placed him in Assaf Harofe hospital in Israel.

Jawd Boulos, Adnan's lawyer, said Adnan is due to be released on July 12. Adnan began his hunger strike in protest of his administrative detention, which began last July, demanding Israel either release or charge him. During his hunger strike, Adnan refused medical aid and relied only on water for sustenance, not taking any minerals or salts.

Last week, the PIJ threatened to end its cease-fire with Israel, should Adnan die under Israeli custody. Ahmed al-Aouri, a PIJ member, told al-Araby newspaper "the Islamic Jihad Movement &mdash; in which Khader Adnan is a leading member &mdash; will not be bound by any truce agreement if he comes to any harm."

The PIJ is a militaristic Palestinian movement. Adnan, 37, is an active member of the PIJ in the, and has been its spokesperson there. As a result of his activity, since 1997 Adnan has been arrested reportedly around ten times, and has gone on several hunger strikes, one of which lasted 28 days, while another lasted 66 days and after his release he went on strike for another 12 days as a token of sympathy for the remaining Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.