Dying in ‘Hell’: The fate of Palestinian medics jailed by Israel
Al Jazeera
One of Gaza’s most prominent doctors may have been raped to death, recent revelations show. He’s not the only one.
Warning: This article includes descriptions or mentions of sexual violence that some readers may find disturbing.
Dr Adnan Al-Bursh’s life sat in stark contrast to the manner of the charismatic 49-year-old’s death.
The head of orthopaedics at Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital was working at the al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza in December when he and other medics were arrested by the Israeli army for, they said, “national security reasons”.
Four months later, Ofer Prison guards dragged Al-Bursh and dumped him in the prison yard, naked from the waist down, bleeding and unable to stand, according to a statement provided by Israeli human rights organisation, HaMoked.
Recognising him, some of the other prisoners carried Al-Bursh to a nearby room, and he died moments later.