The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed concern regarding the whereabouts and well-being of Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, who was detained by Israel this week. The WHO urged full respect for his rights.
In a statement, the WHO mentioned that Dr. Salmiya, the head of Gaza’s largest hospital, was arrested on November 22 along with five other healthcare workers. They were detained during a United Nations-led mission to evacuate patients.
The WHO detailed that three members of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and three from the Ministry of Health were among those arrested. Since then, two of the six detained healthcare workers have been released. However, the WHO stated it had no information on the safety of the remaining four, including the director of Al-Shifa Hospital.
The organization called for their legal and human rights to be fully respected during their detention.
Israel claims that Al-Shifa Hospital serves as a primary command center for Hamas operations in the Gaza Strip, a claim Hamas denies. Israeli forces have searched the medical complex over several days.
Following an attack initiated on October 7, which Israel says resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the abduction of approximately 240 people transferred to Gaza, Israel pledged to eliminate Hamas.
The Israeli retaliatory response reportedly led to approximately 15,000 deaths in the Gaza Strip, including 6,150 children, according to the Hamas government.
The Israeli military announced the arrest of Dr. Salmiya and another department head on Thursday.
The WHO reported that it has conducted three missions to Al-Shifa within a week, including an assessment mission on November 18 and a second mission on November 19, which facilitated the evacuation of 31 infants. The third mission, conducted on November 22 in cooperation with the Palestinian Red Crescent, enabled the evacuation of 151 people, including patients, their relatives, and health workers.
The evacuation operation lasted 20 hours, including six hours at a checkpoint where the Israeli military inspected the team and patients. This occurred despite an initial agreement for inspection only at the starting point at Al-Shifa Hospital, the WHO clarified, noting that the arrests happened at the checkpoint.
