Palestinian armed groups fired salvoes of rockets from Gaza into southern Israel on Tuesday after an Islamic Jihad leader died in Israeli custody following an 87-day hunger strike, the first such death in more than three decades.

Khader Adnan, who was awaiting trial, was found unconscious in his cell and taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead after efforts to revive him, Israel's Prisons Service said.

Hundreds of people took to the streets in blockaded Gaza and the occupied West Bank to rally in support of Adnan and mourn his death, which Palestinian leaders described as an assassination. In Gaza, an umbrella group of armed Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, launched two separate rocket barrages towards Israel.

Watch |&nbsp;45-year-old Islamic Jihad member Khader Adnan dies is Israeli custody

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The Israeli military said at least three rockets were fired from Gaza in the hours after Adnan's death and a further 26 were launched later in the afternoon. Two landed in the southern city of Sderot, wounding three people, including a 25-year-old foreign national who Israel's ambulance service said sustained serious shrapnel wounds.

An Israeli Defence Force official said Israel would respond at a time and a place of its choosing.

Prime Minister Bejnamin Netanyahu held a meeting with security officials to assess the situation and the military said it was investigating how two rockets had penetrated the Iron Dome air defence system.

Since 2011, Adnan had conducted at least three hunger strikes in protest at detentions without charges by Israel. The tactic has been used by other Palestinian prisoners, sometimes en masse, but none had died since 1992.

Adnan's lawyer Jamil Al-Khatib and a doctor with a human rights group who recently met him accused Israeli authorities of withholding medical care.

"We demanded he be moved into a civilian hospital where he could be properly monitored. Unfortunately, such a demand was met by intransigence and rejection," Al-Khatib told Reuters.

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Adnan, 45, was a baker and a father of nine from Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Islamic Jihad sources said he was one of its political leaders. The faction has a limited West Bank presence but is the second most powerful armed group in Hamas-ruled Gaza, where Israeli forces fought a brief war against it last August.

Lina Qasem-Hassan of Physicians for Human Rights in Israel said she saw Adnan on April 23, at which point he had lost 40 kg (88 pounds) and was having trouble breathing but was conscious.

"His death could have been avoided," Qasem Hassan told Reuters, saying several Israeli hospitals had refused to admit Adnan after he made brief visits to their emergency rooms.

The Prisons Service said hospitalisation had not been an option as Adnan had declined "even a preliminary inspection".

'Fight is continuing'

Physicians for Human Rights said Israeli authorities had denied requests by Adnan and his family to visit him in prison.

Speaking from the family's home in the northern West Bank town of Arraba near Jenin, Adnan's wife, Randa Musa, said: "Our message to all the resistance groups is, we do not want the weapons that were not used to free the sheikh (Adnan) to be used after his death. We do not want to see any bloodshed."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/sudan-100000-refugees-have-fled-into-neighbouring-countries-number-could-rise-to-800000-un-588196">Sudan: 100,000 refugees have fled into neighbouring countries, number could rise to 800,000 - UN</a>

Adnan's 9-year-old son Ali led a march through Arraba. Perched on a man's shoulders, he chanted, "Khader, you a hero, your name shook the prison!" as dozens followed.

Tuesday's rocket barrages came almost a month after the last cross-border exchanges of fire between Israel and Gaza, which followed an Israeli police raid in the al-Aqsa mosque complex during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

"Our fight is continuing and the enemy will realise once again that its crimes will not pass without a response," Islamic Jihad, which preaches Israel's destruction, said in a statement.

Israel said it was cancelling a military drill that had been planned for the areas surrounding Gaza "pursuant to a situational assessment", and was putting staff in security prisons on heightened alert.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners Association, Adnan had been arrested by Israel 12 times, spending around eight years in prison, mostly under so-called "administrative detention" - or detention without charges.

Israel says such detentions are required when evidence cannot be revealed in court due to the need to keep intelligence sources secret. Palestinians and rights groups say they deny due process of law.

This time, Adnan was arrested and indicted in an Israeli military court on charges that included links to an outlawed group and incitement to violence, the Prisons Service said.

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Palestinian armed groups fired salvoes of rockets from Gaza into southern Israel on Tuesday after an Islamic Jihad leader died in Israeli custody following an 87-day hunger strike, the first such death in more than three decades.

Palestinian armed groups fired salvoes of rockets from Gaza into southern Israel on Tuesday after an Islamic Jihad leader died in Israeli custody following an 87-day hunger strike, the first such death in more than three decades. Khader Adnan, who was awaiting trial, was found unconscious in his cell and taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead after efforts to revive him, Israel's Prisons Service said. Hundreds of people took to the streets in blockaded Gaza and the occupied West Bank to rally in support of Adnan and mourn his death, which Palestinian leaders described as an assassination. In Gaza, an umbrella group of armed Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, launched two separate rocket barrages towards Israel. Watch | 45-year-old Islamic Jihad member Khader Adnan dies is Israeli custody The Israeli military said at least three rockets were fired from Gaza in the hours after Adnan's death and a further 26 were launched later in the afternoon. Two landed in the southern city of Sderot, wounding three people, including a 25-year-old foreign national who Israel's ambulance service said sustained serious shrapnel wounds. An Israeli Defence Force official said Israel would respond at a time and a place of its choosing. Prime Minister Bejnamin Netanyahu held a meeting with security officials to assess the situation and the military said it was investigating how two rockets had penetrated the Iron Dome air defence system. Since 2011, Adnan had conducted at least three hunger strikes in protest at detentions without charges by Israel. The tactic has been used by other Palestinian prisoners, sometimes en masse, but none had died since 1992. Adnan's lawyer Jamil Al-Khatib and a doctor with a human rights group who recently met him accused Israeli authorities of withholding medical care. "We demanded he be moved into a civilian hospital where he could be properly monitored. Unfortunately, such a demand was met by intransigence and rejection," Al-Khatib told Reuters. Also read | Tinder 'swipes left' on Russia, to 'dump' the warring nation by June 30 Adnan, 45, was a baker and a father of nine from Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Islamic Jihad sources said he was one of its political leaders. The faction has a limited West Bank presence but is the second most powerful armed group in Hamas-ruled Gaza, where Israeli forces fought a brief war against it last August. Lina Qasem-Hassan of Physicians for Human Rights in Israel said she saw Adnan on April 23, at which point he had lost 40 kg (88 pounds) and was having trouble breathing but was conscious. "His death could have been avoided," Qasem Hassan told Reuters, saying several Israeli hospitals had refused to admit Adnan after he made brief visits to their emergency rooms. The Prisons Service said hospitalisation had not been an option as Adnan had declined "even a preliminary inspection". 'Fight is continuing' Physicians for Human Rights said Israeli authorities had denied requests by Adnan and his family to visit him in prison. Speaking from the family's home in the northern West Bank town of Arraba near Jenin, Adnan's wife, Randa Musa, said: "Our message to all the resistance groups is, we do not want the weapons that were not used to free the sheikh (Adnan) to be used after his death. We do not want to see any bloodshed." Also read | Sudan: 100,000 refugees have fled into neighbouring countries, number could rise to 800,000 - UN Adnan's 9-year-old son Ali led a march through Arraba. Perched on a man's shoulders, he chanted, "Khader, you a hero, your name shook the prison!" as dozens followed. Tuesday's rocket barrages came almost a month after the last cross-border exchanges of fire between Israel and Gaza, which followed an Israeli police raid in the al-Aqsa mosque complex during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "Our fight is continuing and the enemy will realise once again that its crimes will not pass without a response," Islamic Jihad, which preaches Israel's destruction, said in a statement. Israel said it was cancelling a military drill that had been planned for the areas surrounding Gaza "pursuant to a situational assessment", and was putting staff in security prisons on heightened alert. According to the Palestinian Prisoners Association, Adnan had been arrested by Israel 12 times, spending around eight years in prison, mostly under so-called "administrative detention" - or detention without charges. Israel says such detentions are required when evidence cannot be revealed in court due to the need to keep intelligence sources secret. Palestinians and rights groups say they deny due process of law. This time, Adnan was arrested and indicted in an Israeli military court on charges that included links to an outlawed group and incitement to violence, the Prisons Service said. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Rockets fired from Gaza after Palestinian hunger striker dies in Israeli custody

Exchanges of fire triggered by Israel's targeted killing of a top militant in Gaza raged for a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israeli-strikes-gaza-two-more-palestinians-killed-death-toll-rises-to-18-261808">second day Wednesday</a> and showed little sign of easing, with 22 Palestinians killed.

Fresh rocket barrages were fired at Israel, which responded with strikes on what it said were Islamic Jihad militant sites and rocket-launching squads in the Gaza Strip.

Air raid sirens wailed and fireballs exploded as air defence missiles intercepted rockets, sending Israelis rushing to bomb shelters.

In Gaza, residents surveyed damage and mourned the dead outside a mortuary and at funerals.

UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov was expected in Cairo for talks on halting the fighting, a diplomatic source said, but a source close to the discussions warned the risk of further escalation remained high.

In comments Wednesday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Islamic Jihad must stop its stop rocket attacks or "absorb more and more blows".

He reiterated his warning that "this could take time" and said Israel would respond to attacks "without mercy."

Islamic Jihad spokesman Musab al-Barayem said the group was not interested in mediation for now as it responded to the killing of one of its commanders.&nbsp;

Israel killed senior Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata and his wife Asma in a targeted strike early Tuesday, prompting barrages of rocket fire in revenge and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.

According to Israel, Ata was responsible for rocket fire at Israel as well as other attacks and was planning more violence, with the military calling him a "ticking bomb."

The flare-up raised fears of a new conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, who have fought three wars since 2008.

A total of 22 Palestinians have been killed so far, including Ata and his wife, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

Islamic Jihad confirmed that the dead included other members of its armed wing.

220 rockets

Since Israel's killing of Ata in what was believed to be a drone strike, at least 220 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza and dozens have been intercepted by air defences, according to the army.

There have been no Israeli deaths, though damage has been caused and one rocket narrowly missed cars on a busy highway.

Israeli medics said they had treated 48 people with light wounds, while schools were closed in areas near the Gaza border for a second day running.

On Tuesday, school closures included the commercial capital Tel Aviv.

Schools in the blockaded Gaza Strip, an enclave of two million people, have been closed since Tuesday.

Unusually and in a sign it was seeking to avoid a wider conflict, Israel's announced targets were confined to Islamic Jihad sites and not those belonging to Hamas.

It normally holds Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules the Gaza Strip, responsible for all rocket fire from the enclave as the territory's de facto rulers.

Israeli analysts were quick to highlight the change of approach.

"For the first time in the current era, Israel drew a distinction between Hamas and Islamic Jihad," commentator Ben Caspit wrote in Israeli newspaper Maariv.

"By so doing, Israel deviated from its iron-clad principle that Hamas, as the sovereign power in Gaza, has to pay the price for any action taken by anyone in the Gaza Strip. That is now no longer the case."&nbsp;

Islamic Jihad is the second-most-powerful militant group in the Gaza Strip after Hamas.

The flare-up comes at a politically sensitive time for Israel.

A September 17 general election ended in a deadlock and a new government is yet to be formed.

It was the second election since April when polls also ended inconclusively.

The violence drew international calls for calm.

Britain's foreign office said "we call on all sides to rapidly de-escalate the situation, and support the UN and Egyptian efforts to achieve that objective."

Exchanges of fire triggered by Israel's targeted killing of a top militant in Gaza raged for a second day Wednesday and showed little sign of easing, with 22 Palestinians killed.

Exchanges of fire triggered by Israel's targeted killing of a top militant in Gaza raged for a second day Wednesday and showed little sign of easing, with 22 Palestinians killed. Fresh rocket barrages were fired at Israel, which responded with strikes on what it said were Islamic Jihad militant sites and rocket-launching squads in the Gaza Strip. Air raid sirens wailed and fireballs exploded as air defence missiles intercepted rockets, sending Israelis rushing to bomb shelters. In Gaza, residents surveyed damage and mourned the dead outside a mortuary and at funerals. UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov was expected in Cairo for talks on halting the fighting, a diplomatic source said, but a source close to the discussions warned the risk of further escalation remained high. In comments Wednesday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Islamic Jihad must stop its stop rocket attacks or "absorb more and more blows". He reiterated his warning that "this could take time" and said Israel would respond to attacks "without mercy." Islamic Jihad spokesman Musab al-Barayem said the group was not interested in mediation for now as it responded to the killing of one of its commanders. Israel killed senior Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata and his wife Asma in a targeted strike early Tuesday, prompting barrages of rocket fire in revenge and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes. According to Israel, Ata was responsible for rocket fire at Israel as well as other attacks and was planning more violence, with the military calling him a "ticking bomb." The flare-up raised fears of a new conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, who have fought three wars since 2008. A total of 22 Palestinians have been killed so far, including Ata and his wife, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. Islamic Jihad confirmed that the dead included other members of its armed wing. 220 rockets Since Israel's killing of Ata in what was believed to be a drone strike, at least 220 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza and dozens have been intercepted by air defences, according to the army. There have been no Israeli deaths, though damage has been caused and one rocket narrowly missed cars on a busy highway. Israeli medics said they had treated 48 people with light wounds, while schools were closed in areas near the Gaza border for a second day running. On Tuesday, school closures included the commercial capital Tel Aviv. Schools in the blockaded Gaza Strip, an enclave of two million people, have been closed since Tuesday. Unusually and in a sign it was seeking to avoid a wider conflict, Israel's announced targets were confined to Islamic Jihad sites and not those belonging to Hamas. It normally holds Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules the Gaza Strip, responsible for all rocket fire from the enclave as the territory's de facto rulers. Israeli analysts were quick to highlight the change of approach. "For the first time in the current era, Israel drew a distinction between Hamas and Islamic Jihad," commentator Ben Caspit wrote in Israeli newspaper Maariv. "By so doing, Israel deviated from its iron-clad principle that Hamas, as the sovereign power in Gaza, has to pay the price for any action taken by anyone in the Gaza Strip. That is now no longer the case." Islamic Jihad is the second-most-powerful militant group in the Gaza Strip after Hamas. The flare-up comes at a politically sensitive time for Israel. A September 17 general election ended in a deadlock and a new government is yet to be formed. It was the second election since April when polls also ended inconclusively. The violence drew international calls for calm. Britain's foreign office said "we call on all sides to rapidly de-escalate the situation, and support the UN and Egyptian efforts to achieve that objective."

22 Palestinians killed as deadly Israel-Gaza escalation rages for second day

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Rockets fired from Gaza after Palestinian hunger striker dies in Israeli custody

22 Palestinians killed as deadly Israel-Gaza escalation rages for second day