ICRC urges Israel to release Palestinian detainee’s body

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), on Tuesday, called on the Israeli authorities to release the body of Palestinian hunger striker, Khader Adnan, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Adnan, a senior Islamic Jihad group member, died in prison on Tuesday, after 86 days of hunger strike in protest of his detention.

“We call on the Israeli authorities to release Mr. Adnan’s body, so his family can mourn and arrange a dignified burial according to their customs and beliefs,” the ICRC said in a statement.

“The ICRC stands ready to support the return of Mr. Adnan’s body, should it be asked to do so by the involved parties, in accordance with our exclusively humanitarian mandate,” it added.

The ICRC said its teams had visited the Palestinian detainee several times during his last arrest in February to monitor his condition.

There were no announcements or arrangements yet by the Israeli authorities to release Adnan’s body.

Adnan was repeatedly detained by Israeli forces and had staged multiple hunger strikes to protest his detention.

The 44-year-old, from the town of Arraba, west of Jenin, started his hunger strike on 5 February to protest his detention by the Israeli authorities.

According to the Palestinian Prisoner Society NGO, an Israeli military court, last month, rejected a request by Adnan’s lawyer to release him on bail while he was on the 78th day of his hunger strike.

In 2012, Adnan staged a 66-day hunger strike in protest of his detention, forcing the Israeli authorities to release him. He staged similar hunger strikes in 2015 and 2018.

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