VIOLENCE IN GAZA AFTER PALESTINIAN PRISONER DIES
▶ Israel responds with tank fire as rockets are launched following death of Khader Adnan
Gaza residents fear the death of detained Palestinian hunger striker Khader Adnan will create further instability in the enclave.
The Israeli military said yesterday it identified 22 rocket launches from Gaza, four of which were intercepted.
The remaining rockets fell in open areas. Israel said it responded with tank fire.
Adnan was awaiting trial when he was found unconscious in his cell yesterday morning in the central Israeli city of Ramle, after an 87-day hunger strike.
He died in a hospital outside Tel Aviv.
Israeli authorities have said Adnan was a leader in militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Palestinian activists regard him as a symbol of opposition to Israel’s occupation.
Adnan spent about eight years in administrative detention.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh described his death as a “deliberate assassination”.
Adnan’s death was a result of Israel “rejecting his request for his release, neglecting him medically and keeping him in his cell, despite the seriousness of his health condition”, Mr Shtayyeh said.
Adnan began his protest shortly after being arrested on February 5.
Israel said he refused to receive medical treatment and was found unconscious.
About 200 people gathered outside Adnan’s home in the occupied West Bank town of Arraba, where they held signs bearing his image. His widow, Randa Musa, told those outside that “we do not want a single drop of bloodshed” in response to his death.
“We do not want rockets to be fired, or a following strike on Gaza,” she said.
But shortly after Adnan’s death, four rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel, although no injuries or damage were
reported from the first salvo. A joint statement by militant factions in Gaza, including the territory’s rulers Hamas, said the rocket fire was an “initial response” to Adnan’s death.
Israel’s prison service said Adnan was in jail for the 10th time and Ms Mousa said her husband had carried out several hunger strikes in detention.
Israel said it was cancelling a military drill planned on the periphery of the Gaza Strip yesterday “pursuant to a situational assessment”.
Hours later, Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service said three people had been wounded by shrapnel in the Sderot area, near the Gaza border, following the barrage of 22 rockets.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned that “anyone who attempts to harm the citizens of Israel will be sorry”.
In the West Bank, Israeli authorities said a man was wounded in a shooting near a Jewish settlement.
“Everyone is tense and apprehensive here,” said Gaza resident Waseem, who did not disclose his last name.
Another resident, Jamil, said: “I woke up to the sound of the nearby mosque, which was broadcasting a speech that I didn’t understand. I opened my phone and Facebook and found the news about Sheikh Khader Adnan.
“Sheikh Khader used his tools of struggle, the only thing he could from his available means. We are nervous and apprehensive about the moments ahead.”
Tension also spread in the West Bank after Israeli soldiers fired rubber bullets at Palestinians in Hebron during clashes after Adnan’s death.
Palestinians in the strip, which is controlled by militant organisation Hamas, are frequently caught in the middle of fighting between the group and the Israeli military.
Last August, more than 40 people were killed in three days of fighting. Israel said it was responding to increased threats from PIJ.
As Israeli-Palestinian violence has risen, the number of administrative detainees – those held without charges – has increased to more than 1,000 over the past year, the highest number in two decades, AP reported. For administrative detainees hunger strikes are often the last recourse. Several have staged hunger strikes lasting several months, often becoming ill. Previous Israeli governments have at times conceded to some of their demands to avoid deaths in custody.
This time, warnings about Adnan’s deteriorating health were ignored, advocacy group Physicians for Human Rights Israel told AP.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners Association, Adnan had been arrested by Israel 12 times, spending about eight years in prison, mostly under administrative detention. Israel says such detentions are required when evidence cannot be revealed in court. Palestinians and rights groups say they deny due process of law.
News of Adnan’s death comes a day after an Israeli raid near the West Bank city of Jericho killed a Palestinian teenager and injured six.