Palestinians march, shops close as prisoner dies in Israel
Palestinians march, shops close as prisoner dies in Israel
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Palestinians hold posters of Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross office, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Gaza City, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. Arabic reads: " Nasser Abu Hamid is a martyr”. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Palestinians hold posters of Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Masked Palestinian gunmen march during a protest, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Palestinians hold posters of Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Palestinians hold posters of Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Palestinians react while sitting around a mock coffin as they hold a symbolic funeral of a prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross office, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Gaza City, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Palestinians react while sitting around a mock coffin as they hold a symbolic funeral of a prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross office, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Gaza City, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Palestinians wave their national flags while chant slogans as they hold pictures of a prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross office, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Gaza City, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Palestinians chant slogans in front of a mock coffin as they hold a symbolic funeral of a prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross office, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Gaza City, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
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Palestinians hold posters of Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross office, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Gaza City, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. Arabic reads: " Nasser Abu Hamid is a martyr”. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Palestinians hold posters of Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross office, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Gaza City, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. Arabic reads: " Nasser Abu Hamid is a martyr”. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Palestinians hold posters of Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Palestinians hold posters of Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Masked Palestinian gunmen march during a protest, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Masked Palestinian gunmen march during a protest, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Palestinians hold posters of Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Palestinians hold posters of Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Palestinians hold posters of Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Palestinians hold posters of Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Palestinians react while sitting around a mock coffin as they hold a symbolic funeral of a prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross office, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Gaza City, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Palestinians react while sitting around a mock coffin as they hold a symbolic funeral of a prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross office, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Gaza City, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Palestinians react while sitting around a mock coffin as they hold a symbolic funeral of a prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross office, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Gaza City, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Palestinians react while sitting around a mock coffin as they hold a symbolic funeral of a prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross office, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Gaza City, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Palestinians wave their national flags while chant slogans as they hold pictures of a prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross office, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Gaza City, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Palestinians wave their national flags while chant slogans as they hold pictures of a prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross office, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Gaza City, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Palestinians chant slogans in front of a mock coffin as they hold a symbolic funeral of a prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross office, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Gaza City, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Palestinians chant slogans in front of a mock coffin as they hold a symbolic funeral of a prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid during a protest in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross office, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Gaza City, after he died of lung cancer in Israel. Abu Hamid was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving seven life sentences after being convicted in 2002 for involvement in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Hundreds of Palestinians, including dozens of masked gunmen firing into the air, took to the streets and stores shuttered across the occupied West Bank to protest the death of a veteran prisoner in Israeli captivity.
Palestinian factions had called for the general strike and urged people to confront Israeli troops after Nasser Abu Hamid died of lung cancer.
Abu Hamid, 50, was a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. He had been serving multiple life sentences since 2002 after being convicted in the deaths of seven Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising against Israel’s occupation in the early 2000s.
Palestinian officials had called for his release as his health deteriorated in recent months.
Prisoners held by Israel, even those convicted in violent crimes, are widely seen as heroes in Palestinian society for resisting an Israeli military occupation that is now in its 55th year. Israel considers them terrorists.
Hundreds of people joined a march in honor of Abu Hamid in Ramallah, the seat of Abbas’ government. Demonstrators hoisted Palestinian flags and yellow Fatah flags, while others held posters of Abu Hamid next to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque. A group of black-clad gunmen marched through the city, firing into the air.
Businesses across the West Bank shuttered for the day, and smaller demonstrations took place in several West Bank towns and cities, as well as in the Gaza Strip.
Abu Hamid’s death came as one of the deadliest years in Israeli-Palestinian fighting in recent decades draws to a close, with the prospects of negotiating a two-state solution and ending Israel’s open-ended military rule over the Palestinians increasingly remote. No serious clashes were reported Tuesday.
The Israel Prison Service confirmed Abu Hamid’s death. It said he was terminally ill and hospitalized a day earlier. The service added that “as in every case of this kind, the incident will be investigated.”
The Palestinian Prisoners Club, a group representing former and current prisoners, said that around 4,700 Palestinians are imprisoned by Israel for security offenses and illegal entry to Israel. It said Abu Hamid was diagnosed with cancer in August 2021.
Palestinian officials blamed Israel for Abu Hamid’s death. Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh accused Israel of “deliberate medical negligence.”
The militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, called for a “a real escalation in the occupation prisons” in response to his death.
The Prison Service said Abu Hamid had received “close and regular treatment” by prison and outside medical staff since his diagnosis.