Israel on alert over prisoner’s death

Israel’s army has confirmed that it is on high alert, in anticipation of a possible attack from Gaza, following the deteriorating health of a Palestinian prisoner on hunger strike. According to informed sources, an Israeli army radio transmission reported today that its forces on the southern Gaza strip are readying themselves for possible violence if the prisoner Samer al-Issawi dies. The radio report also claimed that dozens of drones were seen flying over the Gaza strip. Al-Issawi has been on hunger strike in an Israeli jail for the past 203 days to protest against his arrest. After serving 10 years of a 30 year sentence, Al-Issawi was released in 2011 as part of a “Shalit” deal, only to be re-arrested after just 9 months of freedom. The Israeli army now fears that his death could prompt revenge attacks from Palestinian organisations such as Hamas. There are concerns that any violence could lead to Israel mounting a military campaign, similar to that seen in November last year, which killed dozens of Palestinians. Al- Issawi’s sister, Shirin, has confirmed that he is in a critical condition in prison and his family fear that he may die soon of a heart attack. However, Israel’s Minister of Prisoners, Issa Qaraqe, has disputed the claims, saying that al-Issawi is not on his deathbed and blamed the rumours on inaccurate news being reported by journalists.