Ashraf al-Qudra, the spokesperson for the health ministry in Gaza, announced that the ministry has chosen to cease coordinating the evacuation of injured patients and medical staff with the World Health Organization (WHO). This decision comes in the wake of the detention of several doctors and the director of Al Shifa Hospital.
Al-Qudra further stated that Israeli soldiers had employed violence against both medical personnel and patients. He emphasized the need for Israel and the United Nations to be held responsible for the detention of healthcare workers.
Director of Gaza’s Al Shifa Hospital arrested by Israeli forces
The Israeli army has detained Muhammad Abu Salmiya, the director of Al Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in the Gaza Strip. Several other “senior doctors” were also reportedly arrested. The Israeli Broadcasting Authority has confirmed the arrest. The hospital has been a focal point in Israel’s ground offensive, claiming that Hamas fighters utilized a tunnel complex beneath the hospital for attacks. Hamas and hospital officials have consistently refuted these allegations.
