The director of the Al-Shifa hospital—Gaza’s largest—was arrested by Israeli forces along with other medical staffers, the enclave’s Hamas-run health ministry alleged on Thursday, days after Israel claimed it had found evidence of the hospital being used by Hamas as a base of operation.
File Photo of the Al-Shifa Hospital.
Citing the hospital official, the AFP reported that Al-Shifa Director Mohammad Abu Salmiya and several other “senior doctors” were arrested on Thursday.
The purported arrest took place when Salmiya was traveling in a World Health Organization-operated convoy with other medical personnel and patients, according to Al-Jazeera.
The Israel Defense Forces have not confirmed the arrest, but according to the Times of Israel, the IDF’s intelligence unit and internal security agency Shin Bet are questioning Salmiya.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry strongly condemned the alleged arrest and has halted all coordination with the WHO on patient and doctor evacuations.
Gazan officials expressed concern about Salmiya’s safety and said the WHO has yet to send them a report with details about the detention.
This is a developing story.