GAZA CITY: The Israeli military exchanged fire with Gaza militants on Tuesday in a flare-up of violence following the death of a Palestinian prisoner in Israeli custody amid a hunger strike.
The exchange of fire from both sides came hours after a 45-year-old prisoner named Khader Adnan died who was detained for about three months in the occupied West Bank over his reported ties to the Islamic Jihad militant group.
Prime Minister of Palestine Mohammad Shtayyeh termed his death as a “deliberate assassination,” saying that Israel had killed him “by rejecting the request of Adnan’s release, neglecting his medical status and keeping him in his cell, despite the vulnerability of his worst health condition.”
News of his death was soon followed by the firing of three rockets from militants from Gaza, the Israeli military said.
A joint statement by militant groups in Gaza, comprising the territory’s rulers Hamas and Islamic Jihad, stated that the rocket fire was the initial response to the brutal death of Adnan.
Earlier, prison service of Israel announced the death of a detainee Khader Adnan who was affiliated with Islamic Jihad, adding that he was “found early on Tuesday morning in his cell unconscious.”
Adnan First Victim of Hunger Strike
Khader Adnan was the first Palestinian who lost his life due to a hunger strike, according to the advocacy group the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, adding that the death of other Palestinian detainees occurred due to force feed.
The incident was followed by the launching of a general strike in West Bank cities by Palestinians.
A senior Israeli official stated that Adnan risked his life while refusing medical attention.
Israel occupied the West Bank after the Six-Day War in 1967, and its forces usually detain Palestinians from the area, who are subject to Israeli military courts.
The Islamic Jihad, which is considered a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union, warned that Israel must pay the price for this brazen crime”.
Speaking on Tuesday, her wife Mousa said she would be proud of her husband’s “martyrdom,” which the family wears like “a crown on their heads. However, she cautioned about launching a violent response to the incident.
In his final message published Monday by the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, Adnan said, “I pray that God accepts me as a faithful martyr,.”
Israeli rights group BTselem termed his hunger strike as “a form of non-violent protest and agitation against his arrest and the injustices of the occupation.”
“Someone whose life was in danger remained behind bars despite repeated requests to transfer him to a hospital for treatment reflects the absolute disregard Israel held for his life,” the organization stated.
