Palestinians say Israel has detained director of one of last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza
Global News
The announcement comes a day after Israeli troops stormed the hospital, forcing many staff and patients outside to strip in winter weather, according to the ministry.
Israel’s army detained the director of one of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza as overnight strikes in the enclave killed nine people including children, Palestinian medical officials said, while sirens rang out across Israel.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said Saturday that Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, was arrested by Israeli forces. The announcement comes a day after Israeli troops stormed the hospital, forcing many staff and patients outside to strip in winter weather, according to the ministry.
Israel’s army didn’t respond to questions about Dr. Abu Safiya. On Friday, it denied claims it had entered or set fire to the complex and said it was conducting operations against Hamas infrastructure and militants in the area and had ordered people out of the hospital.
It repeated claims that Hamas militants operate inside Kamal Adwan Hospital but provided no evidence. Hospital officials have denied that.
Kamal Adwan Hospital has been hit multiple times over the past three months by Israeli troops waging an offensive against Hamas fighters in surrounding neighbourhoods. The ministry said a strike on the hospital earlier this week killed five medical personnel.
Israel’s nearly 15-month-old campaign of bombardment and offensives has devastated Gaza’s health sector. The war has killed more than 45,400 Palestinians, more than half women and children, and wounded more than 108,000 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Its count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Dr. Abu Safiya was detained Friday along with dozens of other staff from the hospital and taken to an interrogation centre, the ministry said.
On Friday, MedGlobal, the humanitarian organization where Dr. Abu Safiya worked, said he was a lead physician for the group and was gravely concerned about him. The group said the incident follows the October detention of five other of its staff, calling it an “alarming and egregious pattern of targeting medical personnel and spaces.”
