Palestinian resistance groups in the besieged Gaza Strip have fired more than 20 rockets toward the Israeli occupied territories after a senior leader of the Islamic Jihad, Khader Adnan, passed away at an Israeli prison following an 87-day hunger strike.
Palestinian media outlets reported on Tuesday that 22 retaliatory rockets were fired at populated areas in the southern part of the occupied territories in response to Adnan’s murder, leaving three people injured, one of them in critical condition.
Warning sirens sounded off in Sderot, Sha'ar Hanegev, Ibim and Nir Am regions, Hebrew-language sources reported, adding that only four rockets were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile system.
“This is an initial response to this heinous crime that will trigger reactions from our people,” the Gaza-based Palestinian resistance groups said.
The latest development comes as Palestinians have staged a general strike across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, calling for confrontations with Israeli forces following the murder of Adnan.
Adnan was detained on February 5 and immediately went on hunger strike in protest against his illegal detention.
He was suffering from severe health problems as a result of the strike, including frequent vomiting of blood, severe weakness, frequent loss of consciousness, difficulty in speaking, movement, sleep and concentration, and severe pain all over his body.
Adnan had been arrested a dozen times by Israeli forces for his political and anti-occupation activities over the past two decades. He spent a total of eight years behind bars.
He went on hunger strike four times during his detentions, the longest of which was a 67-day period in 2012 that resulted in his release and inspired other Palestinian prisoners held under administrative detention to follow suit.
In 2015, he once again went on hunger strike for 56 days to protest his detention. He did the same in 2018 for 58 days.
Adnan was also arrested in 2021 and was transferred to administrative detention. He went on hunger strike for 25 days at the time.
Palestinian resistance groups and authorities have mourned the murder of Adnan, holding the occupying Tel Aviv regime fully responsible for the crime.