The head of Gaza’s largest hospital, who had been detained for over seven months, was among dozens of Palestinian prisoners brought back to the besieged territory on Monday for treatment. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the director of the Al Shifa medical complex, was arrested in November after Israeli raids that left his hospital primarily reduced to rubble. The raids followed testimonies by survivors of a deadly Hamas attack on Israel, who said the hospital served as a command center. The Israeli army subsequently raided the compound multiple times, including destroying its tunnels. Hospitals can lose their protection under international law if they serve military purposes, and the raids infuriated the medical community and many civilians in Israel.
Salmiya’s release was confirmed on social media by Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and by a medical source inside the Gaza Strip. The hospital chief, who was held without charge for over four months, told reporters at the border crossing at Erez that he was “grateful to God for his mercy.” He also said that he would not be intimidated by a “frenzied and biased public opinion” in Israel. “The Israeli people are right to demand justice,” he added.
A hospital spokesman said that Salmiya, who had been released from Nafha prison in southern Israel, was transferred to a new facility where he will be treated for wounds sustained during his arrest. He was accompanied by three other doctors and several nursing staff freed as part of the larger group.
In Israel, the decision sparked an uproar, with Deputy Prime Minister Yair Lapid criticizing Israel’s internal security agency for approving the release and calling for the dismissal of its chief. The Shin Bet, which approves the release of Palestinian detainees, defended its decision. “Any claim regarding a failure in the release process undermines the professionalism and integrity of prison officers who deal daily with the worst of murderers,” the organization said.
The prisoner release was part of an effort by Israeli authorities to ease tensions after months of harsh military operations in the Gaza Strip. It is a tactic that has drawn international criticism. Israel has been waging a brutal campaign in the enclave since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. The war has killed nearly 38,000 Palestinians, according to a count by the AFP news agency.
The United Nations’ special envoy to the region, António Guterres, called on Monday for an end to the bloodshed in Gaza and urged both sides to respect the humanitarian needs of civilians. He said that “nothing can justify the horrifying and unprecedented acts of violence and terror committed by Hamas on Oct. 7” and that it was imperative to abide by the principles of international law. Guterres also criticized the treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody, who have been subject to beatings, humiliation, and cruel interrogation methods. His statement came as Israeli troops have rounded up scores of Palestinians from the enclave and occupied West Bank and reportedly hold them incommunicado.
