GAZA/RAMALLAH, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The death of a Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli jail on Tuesday sparked anger among the Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, who blamed Israel for the tragedy.
The Palestinians accused Israel of refusing to release Maysara Hamdeya, 64, although he had suffered from cancer and needed a special therapy.
Protests and demonstrations broke out in several West Bank towns and cities, where demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans against Israel.
They called on Israel to free all the prisoners and end its military occupation of some parts of the West Bank.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told a meeting of his Fatah Party's Central Committee in Ramallah earlier on Tuesday that Israel "hindered all the Palestinian efforts exerted to release Hamdeya, the state-run Palestinian news agency "Wafa" reported.
"I sent a letter of protest to the Israel and to the international community against the death of Hamdeya in prison. I underscored our people's struggle for the release of the prisoners, " Abbas was quoted as saying during the meeting.
Earlier in the day, Israeli Radio reported that Hamdeya, who suffered from cancer, died in the intensive care unit at the Israeli hospital Soroka.
"Hamdeya was treated for cancer for two months," the radio said, adding that he was one of Hamas movement's activists.
Hamdeya, convicted of storing guns used for carrying out attacks against Israel, was from the southern West Bank city of Hebron and had been a retired officer in the Palestinian police before being arrested in 2002.
The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) said it had conducted intensive contacts and efforts to get Hamdeya released after the Israeli prisons' services announced two days ago that he was dying.
Eassa Qaraqea', the PNA minister of prisoners' affairs, told a news conference in Ramallah that the death of Hamdeya, who suffered from cancer in the Israeli jail, "is an awful crime against humanity intentionally committed."
"The Israeli government is fully responsible for the severe deterioration of Hamdeya's health," said Qaraqea', who called for launching an immediate investigation into the incident.
Qaraqea' said that the PNA "is determined to carry out an autopsy on Hamdeya's body once the Israeli authorities hand it over to the Palestinian side."
The announcement of Hamdeya's death sparked anger among Palestinian prisoners in Israel, who declared Wednesday a day of rage and hunger strike in solidarity with Hamdeya.
Meanwhile, Qadoura Fares, chairman of the Palestinian Prisoners ' Club Association warned that the condition inside the Israeli jails is deteriorating due to the tight Israeli measures practiced against the prisoners, mainly the inadequate medical treatment for sick prisoners.
Speaking at a news conference, Fares called on the PNA and President Abbas to immediately join international rights and justice organizations so as to be able to sue Israel in the international courts for its untold crimes.
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