Islamic Jihad celebrates release of Khader Adnan

Major celebrations are planned though Sunday in the hometown of veteran Palestinian hunger striker Khader Adnan following his release from Israeli custody overnight, the Islamic Jihad movement said.

The movement, with which Adnan is affiliated, described the deal that secured his release as "another victory achieved by our people against the Zionist injustice."

The celebrations will take place in Adnan's hometown of Arraba in the northern West Bank district of Jenin.

Adnan, 37, was released by the Israeli authorities overnight, two weeks after a deal was reached to end his 55-day long hunger strike.

Palestinian security sources told Ma'an that the Israeli authorities released Adnan "secretly," and even his family was not aware of when he would be released.

"The Israelis wanted to prevent celebrations," they said.

He began the hunger strike in June to protest the Israeli practice of administrative detention, under which Palestinians can be held without trial or charge indefinitely.

He was detained in July last year and sentenced to administrative detention for the 10th time in his life.

His hunger strike this year was the second he had undertaken against the practice, following a 66-day long hunger strike in 2012 -- the longest carried out by a Palestinian in Israeli detention.

Both hunger strikes led to Adnan's release, although in the deal he secured last month, Adnan was forced to withdraw his demand that Israel never place him under administrative detention again.