Israeli forces detain al-Shifa hospital chief in Gaza
Mohammad Abu Salmiya held following ‘evidence’ Shifa Hospital served as a Hamas command and control centre, says IDF.
The head of Gaza City’s al-Shifa hospital, the largest in the Palestinian territory, was arrested on Thursday by Israeli forces who said it was over the facility’s alleged use by Hamas.
Hospital director Mohammad Abu Salmiya has been frequently quoted by international media about the conditions inside Shifa, a focus of an Israeli ground offensive following attacks by Hamas on October 7.
The Israeli army, which raided the hospital last week, has alleged that Hamas fighters used a tunnel complex beneath the facility in Gaza City to stage attacks.
Hamas and hospital officials have repeatedly denied the claims. Palestinian health officials said Abu Salmiya, another doctor and two nurses had been arrested.
The hospital director was held for questioning following “evidence showing that Shifa Hospital, under his direct management, served as a Hamas command and control centre”, the Israeli military said in a statement.
There was “extensive Hamas terrorist activity” at the hospital while it was “under his management”, it said, adding a Hamas tunnel network used electricity and other resources from the facility. Whether the director would be subject to further questioning would depend on whether he was found to have “involvement in terrorist activity”, it said.
In a statement, Hamas said it “strongly denounces” the arrest of Dr Salmiya and his colleagues, calling on the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international bodies to work towards their “immediate release”.
On Thursday night, Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza City was “heavily bombarded”. “The generators were hit, as well as a significant part of the building,” he said.
Mr Qudra said 180 patients and staff remained at Shifa. “We demand their evacuation. They don’t have any more electricity, food or water. The Israeli army shoots at the hospital and repeats over the loudspeaker they must leave, threatening to bomb them.”
Shifa has been the subject of extended Israeli special forces operations and on Wednesday, troops escorted journalists to a tunnel shaft at the complex which they said was part of a vast underground network used by Hamas.
Instructions to evacuate the hospital were issued on Saturday, prompting an exodus of hundreds of patients, with Dr Salmiya saying he had received the evacuation order from Israeli forces. The Israeli army said the evacuations were carried out at the request of Dr Salmiya. The military released a recording presented as a conversation between Dr Salmiya and a senior Israeli officer in which the two blame each other for the evacuation.
On Thursday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said it joined forces with the UN to evacuate a further 190 wounded and sick people, their companions and medical staff from Shifa to other hospitals in southern Gaza.
The evacuation took nearly 20 hours due to delays at the checkpoint separating northern and southern Gaza.
AFP
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