By In a recent development, the Israeli army has apprehended Muhammad Abu Salmiya, the director of the largest medical complex in the Gaza Strip, al-Shifa Hospital.
Alongside him, several other senior doctors, including Khalid Abu Samra, a department chief at the hospital, were also taken into custody, as reported by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority and confirmed on social media by Salmiya’s cousin, Adham Abu Selmiya.
The arrest has raised concerns about the vulnerability of various classes in the Palestinian community, as highlighted by Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reporting from southern Gaza.
He stated, “This gives a clear sign that there is no immunity inside the Gaza Strip, neither for medical workers, civil defense crews, or even journalists, as the attacks have reached all classes in the Palestinian community.”
Al-Shifa Hospital, a key focus of Israel’s recent ground offensive in northern Gaza, has been at the center of controversy. The Israeli army alleges that Hamas fighters utilized a tunnel complex beneath the hospital for staging attacks, a claim vehemently denied by both Hamas and hospital officials.
Simultaneously, Munir al-Bursh, the director-general of Gaza’s Health Ministry, revealed that the Israeli army issued an evacuation notice to the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, providing only a few hours for evacuation. Despite evacuating 450 patients the previous day, approximately 200 patients remain, with bombing persisting from all sides.
The United Nations humanitarian office reported a distressing incident on Wednesday when the Israeli army obstructed a convoy of ambulances transporting 190 wounded and sick patients from Al-Shifa Hospital to the south.
This obstruction, occurring at the Israeli military checkpoint dividing north and south Gaza, prolonged the journey to almost 20 hours, putting the lives of the patients in jeopardy, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS).
In summary, the recent arrests, hospital evacuations, and the obstructed ambulance convoy underscore the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The international community watches closely as tensions rise, and the safety of civilians and medical personnel hangs in the balance.
