Gaza: Rockets fired at Israel after the death of a Palestinian figure

A death in prison and an almost immediate response

Gaza: Rockets fired at Israel after the death of a Palestinian figure

A death in prison and an almost immediate response. In the early hours of Tuesday, May 2, several rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel. Shots that came just moments after the announcement of the death in custody, in Israel, of Khader Adnane. On hunger strike for more than 80 days, he was a senior member of Islamic Jihad. The Israeli army said in a statement that three rockets were fired in total, adding that they fell into vacant lots.

Khader Adnane, a native of the northern occupied West Bank, had been imprisoned numerous times by Israel and had gone on several hunger strikes, becoming a symbol for the Palestinians. The Israeli prison administration announced in a statement the death of a prisoner affiliated with Islamic Jihad, "found unconscious in his cell" and then hospitalized. The Islamic Jihad and the Palestinian Prisoners Club, an association for the defense of the rights of Palestinians detained by Israel, confirmed to Agence France-Presse the death of Khader Adnane at the age of 45.

He began his hunger strike as soon as his incarceration began on February 5, the prison administration said, adding that he was suspected of belonging to a terrorist organization. Israel "will pay the price for this crime," said in a statement Islamic Jihad, a movement considered "terrorist" by Israel, the United States and the European Union.

"The free hero, Khader Adnane, died a martyr due to a crime committed by the enemy in front of the world, which approves of injustice and terrorism, protects it and covers it," added Islamic Jihad. The President of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, Qaddoura Fares, told AFP that this was the first Palestinian detainee to die in detention in Israel from a hunger strike.

Shortly after the announcement of his death, rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip where Islamic Jihad has a strong presence, AFP journalists noted. In August 2022, three days of clashes between Israel and Islamic Jihad left 49 Palestinians dead, including 12 members of Islamic Jihad, according to the movement, and at least 19 children, according to the UN. Around 200 rockets were fired by Islamic Jihad towards Israel, injuring three. A truce agreement had been brokered by Egypt.

On Friday, Khader Adnane's wife, Randa Moussa, told AFP that he refused "any assistance, any medical examination". “He is in a cell where the conditions of detention are very difficult. They (Israel) refused to transfer him to a civilian hospital and allow his lawyer to visit,” she added. The prisoner "refused to undergo medical examinations and receive treatment", according to the Israel Prison Service. He had been placed in administrative detention, a controversial provision that allows Israel to detain Palestinians without charge or trial.