Well folks, have you heard the latest news? Khader Adnan, a Palestinian prisoner who went on a hunger strike for 87 days to protest his detention in an Israeli prison, has died! Yikes. That’s gotta be one of the most deadly hunger strikes in history, especially during a time of such rising violence in the occupied West Bank.

Naturally, Palestinian leaders and armed groups are pointing fingers at Israel, blaming them for Mr. Adnan’s death. He was quite the symbol of resistance against Israeli occupation, so this is sparking some serious retaliation threats. I mean, the last time a prisoner died on a hunger strike in Israel before Mr. Adnan was way back, back, back in 1992. Talk about a blast from the past!

Mr. Adnan was a real trooper, let me tell ya. He had been on this hunger strike since his arrest on Feb. 5, which is like…what…half the year? Recent reports from Physicians for Human Rights Israel, a group of doctors with no governmental affiliation but lots of compassion for humans, warned that his death was “imminent.” But apparently an appeals court ruled that there was no evidence that he was in urgent medical need. Okay, so can somebody explain that one to me?

So it turns out that Israel was holding Mr. Adnan on suspicion of some pretty serious stuff. They thought he was involved in a terrorist organization, supporting terrorism, and inciting violence as a member of the Palestinian armed group Islamic Jihad. Geez Louise. That’s some heavy accusations right there. Speaking of the Islamic Jihad, they released a statement on Tuesday mourning the loss of Mr. Adnan, who they identified as a longtime leader. They even called for some good old-fashioned retaliation against Israel. Sounds like things are gonna get pretty interesting…

Serious News: nytimes