Israel confirms the interrogation of the director of Al-Shifa Hospital and the World Health Organization calls for respecting his rights

Published in: 25/11/2023 – 05:48

3 minutes

After the World Health Organization confirmed that it does not have information about the fate of the director Al-Shifa Hospital In Gaza, Muhammad Abu Salmiya, the Israeli army revealed on Saturday that it was detaining Abu Salmiya. Israeli forces arrested Abu Salamiya on Wednesday after storming the hospital, which they say Hamas uses to hide weapons, but the movement has repeatedly denied these accusations. According to World Health Organization, Abu Salamiya was arrested along with five other health workers while participating in a United Nations-led mission to evacuate patients.

The organization explained in a statement on Friday that three members of the medical staff of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and three members of the Ministry of Health were arrested.

Since then, “two of the six detained health workers have been released,” according to the organization, which added, “We have no information about the safety of the other four health workers, including the director of Al-Shifa Hospital.”

The World Health Organization called for “their legal and human rights to be fully respected during their detention.”

For his part, Doron Spielman, spokesman for the Israeli army, said on Saturday, “We are interrogating him (Abu Salamiya) because he was the director of a hospital located above an entire terrorist network,” adding, “How could he not know what was happening?”

Israel says that Al-Shifa Hospital is the main command center for Hamas operations in the Gaza Strip, which the movement denies. Israeli forces searched the medical complex buildings over a period of days.

Israel pledged to eliminate Hamas following the attack launched by the movement on the 7th of last month, which according to the Israeli government led to the killing of 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and the kidnapping of about 240 people who were transported to Gaza.

The Israeli retaliation led to the deaths of about 15,000 people in the Gaza Strip, including 6,150 children, according to the local Hamas Ministry of Health.

The World Health Organization said last Sunday that it had led an assessment mission to Al-Shifa Hospital, noting that it had turned into a “death zone” and urging its complete evacuation. The organization stated in a statement, “The effects of the bombing and shooting were clear. The team saw a mass grave at the entrance to the hospital and was told that more than 80 people were buried there.”

France 24/AFP