Ceasefire agreed after death of Palestinian hunger striker in Israeli custody sparks fighting
- The Israeli military conducted air strikes and traded fire with Gaza militants following the death of Khader Adnan
- Adnan, a prominent political leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad faction, had been on hunger strike since February 5
Earlier, Israeli jets struck in Gaza as armed groups there fired rocket barrages toward Israel in response to the death of Khader Adnan, a prominent political leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad faction, following an 87-day hunger strike in an Israeli prison.
Adnan, who was awaiting trial, was found unconscious in his cell and taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead after efforts to revive him, Israel’s Prisons Service said. He was the first Palestinian hunger striker to die in Israeli custody in more than 30 years.
Hundreds of people took to the streets in the occupied Palestinian territories to rally and mourn Adnan’s death, which Palestinian leaders described as an assassination.
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Islamic Jihad threatens Israel after death of Palestinian hunger striker
In Gaza, an umbrella group of armed Palestinian factions including Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for a series of rocket salvoes fired towards Israel during the day.