Israeli prisoner dies of hunger
Rocket attacks from Gaza follow news of militant’s death
JERUSALEM — A high-profile Palestinian prisoner died Tuesday in Israeli custody after a hunger strike of nearly three months, Israel’s prison service announced. His death set off a barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip and raised fears of a further escalation.
Late Tuesday, the Israeli military said it had started airstrikes on Gaza targets, in response to earlier rocket salvos from the coastal strip, run by the militant Hamas group. There was no immediate word on casualties or damage. After a brief pause, the aerial bombardment and rocket fire resumed at dawn.
Khader Adnan, 45, a leader of the militant Islamic Jihad group, helped introduce the practice of protracted hunger strikes by individual prisoners as a form of protest.
Adnan was arrested a dozen times and spent nearly 20% of his life in Israeli prison. His use of hunger strikes as a bargaining chip against Israeli authorities — during two other strikes in 2015 and 2018 — motivated many others to refuse food.
Israel’s prison service said Adnan had been charged with “involvement in terrorist activities” following his February arrest.
After the news of his death broke, Palestinian militants in Gaza fired 26 rockets at populated areas in southern Israel, sending shrapnel flying.
Three foreign workers were wounded at a construction site in the city of Sderot, Israel’s rescue service said, without identifying their nationalities. One of the foreigners, a 25-year-old man, was reported to be in serious condition.
A few hours later, the military said six mortars shells were fired at Israel, most of them not reaching Israeli territory.
The Israeli military said late Tuesday its aircraft struck military posts, training sites, weapons storage facilities and an underground tunnel belonging to Hamas. Palestinian residents reported several explosions by Israeli air raids in northwestern Gaza City and other parts of the Strip. Hamas had earlier evacuated military and security targets in anticipation of Israeli strikes.
Four rockets were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, authorities said. The Israeli military responded with tank fire into Gaza and said it was planning further retaliation.
A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity under regulations, said the army assessed that Islamic Jihad fired the rockets with Hamas’ knowledge.
“The security establishment will act with determination and force against anyone who tries to harm the citizens of Israel,” said Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Earlier Tuesday, Palestinian militants in Gaza fired another three rockets that landed in empty fields in Israel.
A march commemorating Adnan in the northern city of Jenin spiraled into violence Tuesday when Palestinian security forces prevented protesters from reaching the Palestinian Authority’s headquarters. As Palestinians fired into the air and chanted against the Palestinian Authority, Palestinian security forces fired tear gas into the crowd.
Adnan’s lawyer said the Israeli prison service retaliated by placing him in isolation after he began his hunger strike. He said Adnan had appealed to Israeli authorities to transfer him to a hospital.
The Israeli prison service said Adnan was in a prison medical facility, but had refused medical treatment “until the last moment” when his legal proceedings moved ahead. The prison authorities said he was found unconscious in his cell early Tuesday and transferred to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Hundreds gathered at Adnan’s home in the West Bank town of Arraba, calling for revenge. In a call for de-escalation, Adnan’s widow, Randa Musa, asked Palestinians not to respond with violence.
“We do not want a single drop of blood shed,” she told the crowd. “We do not want rockets to be fired.”