Israel and Gaza militants exchanged fire on Tuesday after a leading Palestinian security prisoner died in an Israeli prison after an 86-day hunger strike.
Militants fired about 30 rockets and mortars into southern Israel on Tuesday, with Israel directing tank fire at Gaza. In the northern West Bank, shots were fired at Israeli vehicles, lightly wounding one person.
At least seven people, Israelis and foreign nationals, were hurt inside Israel and a Chinese construction worker was moderately hurt. There was no report of casualties in Gaza.
The Israeli military said it was investigating how two rockets had penetrated the Iron Dome air defence system.
Hundreds of Gaza residents took to the streets to rally in support of Khader Adnan (45) as an alliance of militant groups threatened additional attacks to avenge what was termed the “Zionist assassination”.
Mr Adnan, a senior Islamic Jihad operative from Jenin in the northern West Bank, was found unconscious in his cell early on Tuesday. He was taken to hospital but attempts to resuscitate him failed.
Mr Adnan’s attorney, Jamal Khatib, said they had warned the Israeli authorities that he needed to be hospitalised.
“All the studies into this issue show there is an actual danger of death after 75 days on hunger strike,” he said.
The Israel Prison Service claimed Mr Adnan had refused to undergo medical tests and receive treatment and it was decided not to force-feed him.
An Israeli military judge warned Mr Adnan last week that he was likely to die if he continued his hunger strike.
The Islamic Jihad called Mr Adnan a martyr who died as a result of “crimes committed by the Zionist occupation, which bore full responsibility for him”, warning that Israel will pay the price.
The Palestinian Authority demanded an international inquiry, saying the death proves that Israel carries out assassinations.
Hamas also described the death as an assassination and declared that the Palestinian factions will step up the “resistance” against Israel by “all means and tools”.
The issue of Palestinian security prisoners being held in Israeli prisons has always been an emotive one for the Palestinians. There are few extended families in the West Bank who do not have a relative who is or was in Israeli detention.
More than a thousand of the almost 5,000 Palestinian prisoners are held under administrative detention – a mechanism carried over from the British mandate in Palestine – which allows security suspects to be held for extended periods without being brought to trial.
Mr Adnan, who had spent years in and out of Israeli prisons and was on hunger strike for the fifth time, was arrested in February and was due to stand trial later this month on charges of terrorism and incitement.
Israeli prisons holding Palestinian security prisoners went on a high state of alert and detainees were warned that their privileges will be taken away if they go on hunger strike or hold violent demonstrations.
