Israeli army deploys anti-missile battery amid security escalation

The Israeli military deployed an Iron Dome anti-missile battery in southern Israel Thursday, local media reported.

The Iron Dome was deployed amid concerns of possible rocket fire by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip due to Israel's arrest of a high profile Palestinian prisoner a day earlier, as well as escalating tensions in Jerusalem, Israeli media reported.

The anti-missile battery is situated in the southern coastal town of Ashdod, 32 km south of Tel Aviv and 30 km north of the Gaza Strip, Channel 10 reported, citing a official in the military's southern command.

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson refused to comment on the report, saying the IDF normally do not divulge information about battery deployment.

Israeli media reported that the deployment is connected to the arrest Wednesday of Palestinian prisoner Mohammad Allan, known for his two-month-long hunger strike.

The last time an Iron Dome battery was deployed in Ashdod was in August, when the hunger striking Allan was on the brink of death.

Allan, 31, was arrested in November 2014 and placed under administrative detention, a controversial measure where suspects in security-related offenses are incarcerated for a prolonged period of time without trial.

He embarked on a hunger strike in June 2015, in protest of his detention. His strike lasted for two months, during which time his health drastically deteriorated, nearly causing his death in August.

His deteriorating health condition increased tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, forcing Israeli authorities to reassess the terms of his incarceration to prevent a security escalation, all the while with protests and clashes between Palestinians and Israelis taking place outside Allan's hospital.

The Supreme Court ordered the release of Allan from administrative detention due to his deteriorating health. He had since resumed eating and his health improved.

However, on Wednesday, Allan was rearrested shortly after his release from the hospital. His relatives said he will resume his hunger strike until his release. He was placed once more under administrative detention by military orders.

Amid Allan, Mohammad's cousin, told Army Radio Thursday that his cousin said he will go on a hunger strike again and will not take his medications until authorities permit family visitations, forbidden under administrative detention terms.

There are over 5,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails over security charges. They are revered by some Palestinians as freedom fighters for Palestine's national cause as they have been living under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Mideast War.

The decision to deploy anti-missile batteries may also be connected to the recent security escalation in Jerusalem's Holy Temple Mount site.

Clashes broke out between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces Sunday through Wednesday, culminating in minor injuries of dozens of Israeli police officers and Palestinian protesters, as well as the arrest of over 20 Palestinians.

The Temple Mount site is holy to both Jews and Muslims, but according to understandings of the status quo between Israel and Jordan incorporated into the 1994 peace treaty between the two countries, Jews are not permitted to pray at the site.

Recent Israeli moves such as Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel's visit to Temple Mount and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon's decision to outlaw two Muslim groups in Jerusalem are believed to have increased the tensions that have built up around the site over the past year. Endit