Al Shifa Hospital director was reportedly detained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), according to a local physician and local media. The medical institution is the biggest hospital facility in the Gaza Strip.
Khalid Abu Samra, head of the hospital's emergency room, told the AFP news agency on Thursday, November 23, that Muhammad Abu Salmiya and many other "senior doctors" had been taken into custody, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Salmiya's detention was reported by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority and verified by his cousin, Adham Abu Selmiya, in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Health Ministry in Gaza Demands Explanation
The Ministry of Health in Gaza has demanded an explanation from the World Health Organization (WHO) after these physicians transporting patients in a WHO convoy were arrested by Israeli authorities.
Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesman for the health ministry, stated, "The World Health Organization has not yet sent us any report to explain the situation, including the numbers and names of those detained. The inability to contact al-Shifa means we don't know who has been arrested ... There's a chance some of those detainees will be killed. We know the occupation forces are capable of that."
He said that until the ministry receives an explanation report from the WHO, they would cease working together on evacuation plans.
On Thursday, Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum reported from southern Gaza that Israeli occupation troops had also arrested two Palestinian paramedics. This shows no immunity inside the Strip, even for medical workers.
Hamas issued a statement strongly denouncing the arrest of Salmiya and his colleagues. It is urging the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international organizations to act for their immediate release.
IDF Raids Al Shifa Hospital
Israel's ground attack in northern Gaza has centered mostly on Al Shifa Hospital. Although the army ordered the institution to be evacuated on Saturday, November 18, the surviving staff estimates that there are still roughly 180 patients inside.
The IDF conducted a raid on the hospital in Gaza City last week on the suspicion that Hamas militants were using a tunnel network underneath the building for their bases and launch strikes. Hamas leaders and hospital administrators have consistently refuted the allegations.
According to a report from November 17, the Israeli Air Force unit that led the raid on the hospital complex said that the presence of weaponry in the building proved that terrorists from Hamas were using it as a command center.
Rifles, bombs, and grenades are among the weapons revealed. However, other individuals say these weapons are not proof that the Palestinian terrorist group utilized the Al Shifa Hospital. IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht indicated they would provide further proof, but it would take some time.