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The prisoners' tent in Ketziot prison following the riots Monday (Prison Service)
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Last update - 18:24 23/10/2007
Hamas warns Shalit may suffer in retaliation for prisoner's death
By Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondent, and The Associated Press

Hamas warned Tuesday that abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit may suffer in retaliation for the death of a Palestinian prisoner Monday in a riot in the Ketziot Prison in the country's south.

The group's military wing said in a statement it would "not stand idle before the attacks on the prisoners and has painful options for the enemy regarding the case of Shalit and other issues." It did not elaborate.

Mushir al-Masri, a Hamas lawmaker, also vowed revenge. "The resistance factions will not stand idly by and all options are open to us to face this dangerous policy," he said.
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About 1,000 prisoners rioted before dawn Monday at Ketziot Prison in the south, in response to a massive search for concealed weapons that wardens were conducting at the time. One prisoner was mortally injured by the wardens' crowd dispersal equipment.

Fifteen other prisoners were lightly wounded, as were 15 wardens. Four of the prisoners were taken for treatment to Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva; one warden also needed medical attention.

The Israel Prison Service declined to release the name of the mortally injured prisoner, a 29-year-old Palestinian serving a two-year sentence for sheltering another man from the authorities. The Palestinian Authority identified him as Mohammed al-Ashkar, a member of Islamic Jihad.

Prison Commissioner Benny Kaniak has appointed an inquiry committee to look into the incident.

Major General Eli Gavison, head of the IPS's southern district, confirmed that jailers had fired "nonlethal objects" at the crowd, and that caused the prisoner's injury. He refused to specify the exact "nonlethal means" the wardens had used, explaining that the nature of the equipment used by the IPS's specialized riot dispersal unit is classified.

However, he did say that the mortally wounded prisoner was hit in the head by a small bag filled with pellets of some kind.

Regulations state that wardens are only allowed to fire these missiles at the prisoners' legs, and Gavison insisted that all the wardens had obeyed this rule. However, he said, the prisoner in question was bending down at the time; hence the sachet struck his head.

The raid, in which 535 wardens participated, began at about 2 A.M. The wardens were searching the prison's security wing - which houses those convicted of terrorist activity - for weapons and information about possible escape plans by prisoners.

However, when the jailers entered the ward, the prisoners began rioting: They threw vegetables and other objects at the wardens, and took apart their beds and used them as clubs with which to attack the IPS officials. Some of the prisoners also set fire to the tents in which they are housed, destroying 10 of them before the blaze was extinguished.

"There was very serious fear for the warden's lives," said Gavison, explaining the decision to use crowd dispersal equipment.
Gavison said the wardens suppressed the riot within 40 minutes, and the prison was back to normal within about two hours.

The IPS refused to allow journalists to enter the ward or interview prisoners Monday, saying it feared the media's presence could reignite the riots. Photographers were barred for the same reason.

The crowd dispersal sachets were fired by members of the IPS's Massada Unit, which is considered one of Israel's leading riot dispersal and hostage rescue units. The army and police have often borrowed its services.

The PA denounced what it termed an Israeli assault against Palestinian prisoners and accused the IPS of using clubs, gas grenades and rubber bullets against the inmates. It put the number of wounded prisoners at about 50.

Related articles:
  • PA blasts Israel for riot in Ketziot Prison, which leaves dozens hurt
  • Security forces nab two prisoners fleeing from Ketziot Prison
  • Israel presents Hamas new proposal on Shalit deal
  • Rajoub: Releasing prisoners will help free Gilad Shalit
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      1.   FYI 01:18  |  american guy 23/10/07
      2.   they should have left the fire unchecked and seen how many would 01:19  |  terrornator 23/10/07
      3.   Terrorist rights, are you kidding me?! 02:25  |  Gili 23/10/07
      4.   orwelian or what ? 02:57  |  Sean 23/10/07
      5.   Hater, Just Plain Hater 04:36  |  Brad 23/10/07
      6.   order must be kept, there must be no no-go areas 04:51  |  ralph 23/10/07
      7.   rioting prisoners 04:58  |  Mark nusbaum 23/10/07
      8.   DON`T RETURN HIS BODY UNTIL GILAD SHALIT IS RETURNED UNHARMED. 05:26  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 23/10/07
      9.   REMEMBER MOSES KILLED A EGYPTIAN FOR BEATING A JEW?THAT`S THE LAW 05:28  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 23/10/07
      10.   To Brad If you Are Canadian 08:44  |  Samir Salameh 23/10/07
      11.   Hater of injustice 09:22  |  TelAviv 23/10/07
      12.   New hero for Zion 09:40  |  Refugee 23/10/07
      13.   Samir Salameh,you wish somebody went to Beirut,hotels`re empty 09:44  |  Absolute Sweden 23/10/07
      14.   #1 Hater 10:39  |  * BEN JABO 23/10/07
      15.   #11 Samir Salami 10:43  |  * BEN JABO 23/10/07
      16.   What I find amazing 11:12  |  Murray 23/10/07
      17.   @10 VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 11:30  |  Mark B. 23/10/07
      18.   Creature comforts 12:33  |  sh 23/10/07
      19.   Thanks for the heads-up, PA 13:43  |  Jasmine Murphy 23/10/07
      20.   TYPICAL WARPED MUSLIM LOGIC!!! 14:33  |  Albert Einstein 23/10/07
      21.   SO HAMAS WANT TO KILL AN INNOCENT PERSON 14:36  |  Ian 23/10/07
      22.   Bandits know:if something happens to Shalit, their chief is dead 14:39  |  Shlomo from Tel-Aviv 23/10/07
      23.   Hater of Justice 14:43  |  Albert Seligman 23/10/07
      24.   Haniyeh shouldn`t be able to sleep at his house,but he knows peac 14:45  |  Absolute Sweden 23/10/07
      25.   "the wardens` crowd dispersal equipment." 14:49  |  Daniel 23/10/07
      26.   Samir Salami 14:50  |  Albert Seligman 23/10/07
      27.   Gilad 14:55  |  leven5 23/10/07
      28.   where is the usual hater bunch???? 14:56  |  Igor D. 23/10/07
      29.   #11 Samir in Beriut 14:58  |  John Allen 23/10/07
      30.   Standard Hamas and ME talk, barking dogs do not bite. 15:03  |  Winston C. 23/10/07
      31.   Prison 15:03  |  Iben Aziz el Higazi 23/10/07
      32.   Bunch of SHITS 15:08  |  shit hater 23/10/07
      33.   WITH THIS GOVERNMENT 15:10  |  M 23/10/07
      34.   shalit 15:12  |  george 23/10/07
      35.   This is how gangsters behave, all to illustrate once again that 15:15  |  Albert 23/10/07
      36.   Shlomo from Tel-Aviv, I hope you`re right! 15:30  |  akiva (zionist) 23/10/07
      37.   If you want to "punish" soldier Shalit....... 15:31  |  Swiss (Dino) 23/10/07
      38.   #25 - Israel and Press Freedom 15:31  |  Robert 23/10/07
      39.   Samir 15:33  |  Brad 23/10/07
      40.   Quite right, Ian 15:40  |  Murray 23/10/07
      41.   #1 and other "anti-Zionists"--fettered? 15:40  |  Paul Freedman 23/10/07
      42.   #10 Samir 15:40  |  Reuben Jacobs 23/10/07
      43.   Israel under a microscope...again...why? 15:41  |  Richard S 23/10/07
      44.   contd.reprinted in www.imeu.net;based 15:44  |  lakshmi 23/10/07
      45.   Moshiach and Attila 15:47  |  dyinglikeflies 23/10/07
      46.   Warcrimes 15:53  |  Gee 23/10/07
      47.   HAMAS LEADERSHIP WILL BE TARGETED 15:59  |  David P 23/10/07
      48.   American guy #1 16:01  |  Gee 23/10/07
      49.   No pain no gain! 16:03  |  Itsik 23/10/07
      50.   Threatening. lying and cheating Hamas....as always 16:06  |  Dagma 23/10/07
      51.   #16 Salami Milano 16:07  |  Itsik 23/10/07
      52.   # 34 I had some "second thoughts"...... 16:15  |  Swiss (Dino) 23/10/07
      53.   Threat to Shalit 16:39  |  * BEN JABO 23/10/07
      54.   22Shlomo from Tel Aviv,name calling &threats ain`t going to help! 16:53  |  lakshmi 23/10/07
      55.   #54 lakshmi 17:01  |  * BEN JABO 23/10/07
      56.   # 3 Gili as compared to Shalit`s rights 17:07  |  Lynn 23/10/07
      57.   Richard #43 17:08  |  Jyrki 23/10/07
      58.   Simple Solution 17:25  |  Aryeh 23/10/07
      59.   Shalit is already suffering and our government 17:43  |  Daniel 23/10/07
      60.   Deliberate cruelty 17:44  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 23/10/07
      61.   IF... 17:45  |  Danite 23/10/07
      62.   palestinian prisoners 17:45  |  Edifice 23/10/07
      63.   # 14 Ben Jabo 17:48  |  Nick Ferriman 23/10/07
      64.   #53 BEN JABO = Collective Punishment 17:58  |  Paul 23/10/07
      65.   Risking a plea for sanity 18:09  |  Esther 23/10/07
      66.   lakshmi # 54 tell that to your lieing,cheating,murdering,power 18:33  |  terrornator 23/10/07
      67.   Consider Shalit....... 18:46  |  Esther 23/10/07
      68.   This story is utter nonsense. 19:03  |  Deborah 23/10/07
      69.   Occasional Deaths to be Expected in Concentration Camps 19:32  |  Lev Bronstein 23/10/07
      70.   Hamas doesn`t need to torture Shalit 19:52  |  Natallie Durson 23/10/07
      71.   Pretty typical 19:55  |  Colin Wright 23/10/07
      72.   Albert Seligman Bad For you 20:11  |  Samir Salameh 23/10/07
      73.   Condemnation of Hamas 20:13  |  Curious 23/10/07
      74.   Tender-hearted Esther of TA should be appointed prison warden 20:16  |  Absolute Sweden 23/10/07
      75.   Don`t you dare to touch Shallit... 20:31  |  Rafa 23/10/07
      76.   So what 20:40  |  B 23/10/07
      77.   #68 Right, because you`re such an expert in prison management 20:58  |  McQueen 23/10/07
      78.   Re: Nick Ferriman 21:04  |  James 23/10/07
      79.   For Natallie #70 21:08  |  Esther 23/10/07
      80.   Colin Wright #71 21:51  |