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Israeli prison guards have fired teargas on Palestinian inmates in several Israeli jails who have been protesting the death of a prisoner who died of cancer. Maisara Abu Hamdiyeh, who was serving a life sentence in Israeli jail, died of throat cancer on Tuesday. Palestinians blame Israel for a late diagnosis and lack of proper medical treatment.
At Ramon jail, in southern Israel, inmates threw objects at guards, who responded with teargas, the prisons service spokeswoman said.
Three prisoners and six guards were treated at the jail for teargas inhalation, she said.
In Hebron, Abu Hamdiyeh’s hometown, around 300 demonstrators threw stones at Israeli soldiers near the entrance to the Old City, with troops firing teargas and rubber-coated steel bullets, an AFP correspondent said.
“His death has created a lot of tension across the West Bank. There have been protests and rioting,” Al Jazeera’s Nicole Johnson reported from Ramallah.
Palestinians, who view jailed brethren as heroes in a fight for statehood, have held several protests in the West Bank in recent weeks in support of prisoners.
One of the main points of concern is prisoners on long-term hunger strike who are held under “administrative detention” – meaning they are held indefinitely without charge or trial.
Abu Hamdiyeh was the second Palestinian to die in Israeli prison this year. Arafat Jaradat, 30, died under dubious circumstances after being interrogated by Israeli authorities in February.
Palestinian officials say he had been tortured, but Israel denies these allegations without adequately explaining how Jaradat died.
Many former and current Palestinian prisoners complain of ill-treatment and the use of violence by Israeli forces during arrests and interrogations.<\/p>\n