A Palestinian doctor from the Gaza Strip who was captured by Israeli forces and held for four months has died in custody, according to Palestinian officials and detainee rights groups.
Dr. Adnan Ahmad Albash, 50, head of orthopedic surgery at Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical center in the Gaza Strip, was killed along with others when Israeli forces raided the hospital in December, according to the Palestinian Detainee Committee. He was detained along with doctors. Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners of War Club, which defend the rights of Palestinians detained in Israel.
The Israeli military and prisons did not respond to requests for comment. The Times of Israel, citing the military, confirmed that an Israeli prison declared Dr. Albash dead on April 19 without disclosing the cause of death. It said he was being held for national security reasons.
Israel has detained thousands of Palestinians, including women and children, from the Gaza Strip. Former detainees say they suffered beatings and other physical abuse while in Israeli custody, and the United Nations human rights office says Israel's treatment of detainees may amount to torture. , Israel denies this. International human rights groups say they are being denied access to detainees.
Dozens of Palestinians have died in Israeli custody since October 7, according to the Israeli military and rights groups. The Israeli military said it was aware of the deaths of 27 Palestinians in its custody.
Prisoner rights groups have accused Israel of mistreating and killing Dr. Albash, but have provided no evidence of their claims or said how they knew about the circumstances of his captivity and death. Ta.
Dr. al-Bash was detained while hospitalized at al-Awda hospital and fled after leaving al-Shifa.
“He was determined to continue treating his people,” said his nephew Khaled al-Bash. “He could have left, but he insisted that he would continue to treat the injured in the hospital or even at his home.”
Dr. Albash's death raises serious concerns about the treatment of Palestinian detainees, said Milena Ansari, associate researcher on Israel and Palestine at Human Rights Watch, an independent expert on Palestinian deaths in Israeli custody. He called for an investigation.
“This is not an isolated incident,” she said, adding: “Those responsible for this serious abuse should be prosecuted.”
The Israeli military claims that Hamas, the Palestinian political and armed group that took control of Gaza in 2007, has built a headquarters in tunnels beneath al-Shifa. Hamas and hospital administrators rejected the claims.
Gaza's medical system has been under continuous attack since Israel launched a devastating bombing campaign and invasion of Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said nearly 500 health workers had died.
The World Health Organization said it had recorded 443 attacks on medical facilities since October 7, resulting in 723 deaths.
Dr. Albash's Facebook page, which appears to be his last post on November 20, read: “We will die standing, but we will not fall to our knees.”
Lawan Sheikh Ahmad Contributed to the report.
