Israel releases dozens of Palestinian prisoners, including hospital director

Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, who has been detained by Israel since November, is welcomed by his family after his release, on July 1, 2024. Photo: Bashar Taleb/AFP

Israel released dozens of Palestinian prisoners on Monday (the first), according to information in the Palestinian press. The government did not immediately confirm the move, but it had repercussions in the Israeli media and was the target of criticism from more conservative sectors of society, including the National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.

He was among about 50 Palestinians who were released Mohammed Abu SalmiyaThe director of Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest hospital in the Palestinian territories, was arrested in November. The group was reportedly transferred to medical centers in Gaza.

Israel released dozens of detainees from the Gaza Strip, including Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, through a border crossing east of Khan Yunis, according to a person working in a hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah who did not disclose the identity.

Five liberated Palestinians were admitted to this medical center, while the rest were transferred to Khan Yunis hospitals, according to the same source.

Ben Gvir criticized this measure on social media. The army said it was “verifying the information.”

After his release, Al-Salmiya said he was subjected to “severe torture” while in detention. He suffered a fracture in his thumb.

The doctor explained in a press conference that “prisoners are subjected to all kinds of torture.” He added, “Many prisoners died in interrogation centers and were deprived of food and medicine.”

He added, “For two months, the prisoners ate only one piece of bread a day,” before noting that they were subjected to “physical and psychological humiliation.”

The doctor, who was arrested in October, said he was detained “without being charged.”

Israel accuses Hamas, which has been in power in Gaza since 2007, of using hospitals for military purposes, a charge the movement denies.

Khan Yunis European Hospital announced that the director of the orthopedic department, Dr. Bassam Muqdad, was released today, Monday, “after being arrested several months ago.”

An AFP correspondent saw several men hugging their relatives at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

“The release of the director of the Al-Shifa Medical Center in Gaza, along with dozens of other terrorists, is a concession to security,” he added. Ben Gvir wrote on the social network X.