On the videos published Monday 1is July on social media, the director of Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital, Mohammed Abou Salmiya, released by Israel after more than seven months of detention, appears thin and weakened. This Palestinian doctor says he has suffered “serious torture” during his imprisonment in Israel. His release, occurring at the same time as that of dozens of other Palestinian prisoners, angered many Israeli politicians. Mr. Abu Salmiya’s release took place without informing “the political level”denounced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who described it as “serious mistake”. “The place of this man, under whose responsibility our hostages were killed and held, is in prison”he said.
In Israel, the army, the prison service and the domestic intelligence service, the Shin Bet, have all blamed each other for the decision, which is said to have been taken, among other things, to free up space in overcrowded detention centers. Mohammed Abu Salmiya and the other released prisoners have been transferred to medical centers in Gaza, including Khan Younis in the south.
“Israel arrests everyone, including medical teams”Mohammed Abu Salmiya said at a press conference in Gaza shortly after his release. “There are prisoners who have died from torture, doctors and medical staff who are still detained and need treatment. Many prisoners have died in interrogation centers, deprived of food and medicine.”he added.
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In Israel, the releases sparked an outcry. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said they constituted a “security negligence”blaming the Defense Ministry. Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the release of Mohammed Abu Salmiya a“another sign of anarchy and dysfunction” of the government. The minister responsible for relations with the Jewish diaspora, Amichai Chikli, for his part demanded “an explanation of why this man was released”claiming that Al-Shifa Hospital “was the headquarters of Hamas and the place where our hostages were murdered”.
Al-Shifa hospital, the largest in the Gaza Strip, was destroyed in heavy fighting between Hamas and the Israeli army, which besieged it between March 18 and April 1.
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