A high-profile Palestinian prisoner has died in Israeli custody after being on a hunger strike for 86 days to protest his detention without charge or trial.

Khader Adnan died on Tuesday at a time of already soaring tensions between Israel and the Palestinians.

The 45-year-old Adnan was a leading member of the armed group Islamic Jihad. He began staging protracted hunger strikes more than a decade ago, introducing a new form of protest into the Palestinian struggle against Israel’s occupation.

Rights groups said Israeli authorities ignored recent warnings that his life was in danger. The Israeli prison services said Adnan had refused medical treatment.