dnan was well known in the West Bank because of his activities with Islamic Jihad, his many stretches in prison and his long hunger strikes. In 2012, he almost died during a hunger strike in protest of an extended period of imprisonment without charges. He was released from prison at the last moment, and managed to partially recover.

This time, he went back on a hunger strike in February after being imprisoned again. The Shin Bet said that over the years Adnan used his civil political activities as a cover for his support for the terrorist activities of his organization. He denied these claims and described himself as a political person who was battling the Israeli occupation.