Palestinian security prisoner, 45, dies in Israeli jail

A Palestinian security prisoner collapsed and died in his cell Wednesday in the Ofer Prison in the West Bank, the Israel Prison Service said.

The man, 45, had been serving a sentence of 18 years, eight months for terror offenses and had been in jail since 2002. He was a member of the armed wing of the Palestinian Fatah faction and was arrested in the early 2000s, during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising.

The prison services said he collapsed in his cell and efforts by prison authorities and medics to revive him failed, adding that the man had suffered from chronic illnesses. No cause of death was released.

Following his death, other prisoners began banging on doors and throwing objects, lightly wounding one warden, the Walla news site reported.

More than 200 Palestinians have died while in Israeli prisons since 1967, according to the Palestinian Authority.