Israeli military detains director of Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital

The director of Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital, the biggest within the Palestinian territory, was arrested Thursday by Israeli forces who mentioned it was over the power’s alleged use by Hamas.

Hospital director Muhammad Abu Salamiya has been regularly quoted by worldwide media in regards to the circumstances inside Al-Shifa, a significant focus of an Israeli floor offensive following assaults by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct. 7.

The Israeli military, which raided the hospital final week, has alleged that Hamas fighters used a tunnel complicated beneath the power in Gaza Metropolis to stage assaults.

Hamas and hospital officers have repeatedly denied the claims.

Palestinian well being officers mentioned Salmiya, one other physician and two nurses had been arrested.

The hospital director was held for questioning following “proof displaying that Shifa Hospital, beneath his direct administration, served as a Hamas command and management middle,” the Israeli navy mentioned in a press release.

There was “intensive Hamas terrorist exercise” on the hospital whereas it was “beneath his administration,” it mentioned, including {that a} Hamas tunnel community used electrical energy and different sources from the power.

Whether or not the director could be topic to additional questioning would rely upon whether or not he was discovered to have “involvement in terrorist exercise,” it mentioned.

In a press release, Hamas mentioned it “strongly denounces” the arrest of Salmiya and his colleagues, calling on the Worldwide Committee of the Purple Cross and different worldwide our bodies to work in direction of their “rapid launch”.

On Thursday night, Gaza well being ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra mentioned the Indonestian Hospital in Gaza Metropolis was “closely bombarded.”

“The turbines have been hit, in addition to a major a part of the constructing,” he mentioned. “We’re apprehensive” in regards to the sufferers and employees within the hospital, he added.

Qudra added that 180 sufferers and employees remained at Al-Shifa.

“We demand their evacuation,” Qudra mentioned. “They have no extra electrical energy, meals or water.

“The Israeli military shoots on the hospital and repeats over the loudspeaker that they need to depart, threatening to bomb them,” he mentioned.

Al-Shifa hospital has seen prolonged Israeli particular forces operations as a part of Israel’s warfare in opposition to Gaza militants, and on Wednesday, troops escorted journalists to a tunnel shaft on the complicated which they mentioned was a part of an unlimited underground community utilized by Hamas.

Directions to evacuate the hospital have been issued on Saturday, prompting an exodus of lots of of sufferers and displaced, with Salmiya telling AFP final week that he had obtained the evacuation order from Israeli forces.

However the Israeli military mentioned the evacuations have been carried out on the “request” of Salmiya.

The navy launched an audio recording offered as a dialog between Salmiya and a senior Israeli officer by which the 2 males blame one another for the evacuation.

On Thursday, the Palestinian Purple Crescent mentioned it joined forces with the United Nations to evacuate an additional 190 wounded and sick folks, their companions and medical employees from Al-Shifa to different hospitals in southern Gaza.

The evacuation took practically 20 hours as a consequence of delays on the checkpoint separating northern and southern Gaza, it mentioned on social media, including that three paramedics had been detained, two of whom have been subsequently launched.

The Hamas-run authorities in Gaza says practically 15,000 folks have been killed for the reason that Israeli navy marketing campaign started, most of them girls and youngsters.

It began after Hamas gunmen poured throughout the border in an unprecedented assault on Oct. 7. Israeli officers say about 1,200 folks, principally civilians, have been killed, and round 240 taken hostage.

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