A convicted Hamas terrorist serving out his sentence in an Israeli prison died of a heart condition over the weekend, sparking rioting by fellow inmates.
Fifty-four-year-old Aziz Awisat was arrested in 2014, after he attempted to blow up an apartment building in Jerusalem’s Armon Hanetziv neighborhood by damaging nearby gas lines.
Awisat, who had links to the Hamas terror group, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the terror plot.
Earlier this month, Awisat attacked a guard at the Eshel Prison in southern Israel, pouring boiling water on the guard.
The guard was scalded across most of his body, and was rushed to Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva in moderate condition.
Awisat was neutralized by other guards and placed in solitary confinement.
Over the weekend, Awisat died at the Yitzhak Shamir Medical Center in Tzrifin from a heart condition.
After news of Awisat’s death spread, security prisoners in Eshel and other Israeli prisons rioted in protest of his death.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, a union of jailed terrorists held in Israeli prisons, blamed Israel for Awisat’s death, despite its acknowledgement that Awisat suffered from pre-existing health problems.
According to the Palestinian Authority’s WAFA media outlet, Arab demonstrators gathered outside of the Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem to protest Awisat’s death. Israeli security forces reportedly broke up the unauthorized demonstration on Sunday.