Palestinian forces arrest senior Islamic Jihad leader in Ramallah

RAMALLAH, Palestine

Palestinian security forces on Sunday arrested senior Islamic Jihad leader Kheder Adnan, according to a human rights group.

Adnan was detained during his participation in a protest in the West Bank city of Ramallah to demand the release of activists held during a rally to call for bringing killers of political activist Nizar Banat to justice, the Lawyers for Justice group said.

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

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

There was no comment from the Palestinian Authority on the report.

On Saturday, Palestinian security forces banned a protest in Ramallah to call for bringing Banat’s killers to accountability.

Banat, 44, died in custody shortly after being arrested by Palestinian security forces.

According to the NGO, more than 120 Palestinians were arrested by Palestinian security forces since Banat’s killing in May.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara