44-year-old Sheikh Khader Adnan, one of the leading exponents of Islamic Jihad in the West Bank, has died after an 86-day hunger strike.

This was reported by the Israeli prison service, according to which he was found unconscious in his cell during the night and was transferred to a nearby hospital where his death was confirmed.

Adnan was arrested for the tenth time in February on suspicion of being part of a terrorist organization. The protagonist of other hunger strikes in the past, he enjoyed great popularity in the West Bank.

According to the Israeli prison service, "the detainee, arrested on February 5, had refused to undergo medical examinations and receive treatment". Adnan's family members have instead accused the Israeli authorities of a series of serious negligence against him. "He has been eliminated," the Palestinian Detainees Association said.

Adnan's death was immediately disclosed by the minarets of mosques in Gaza. According to Israeli public radio Kan, Israel has raised the state of alert around the Strip, fearing a rekindling of violence with rocket launches.

(Unioneonline/D)