Top Gaza surgeon Adnan Al-Bursh passes away while in Israeli incarceration.
Dr. Adnan Al-Bursh, a renowned orthopedist from Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, died on April 19th, as revealed by the Palestinian Prisoners' Society and the Commission of Detainees' Affairs.
Dr. Al-Bursh, along with 10 other healthcare workers, was arrested during the Israeli military incursion into Jabalya refugee camp in December. The incident took place as he was treating patients at Al-Awda Hospital.
Al-Bursh's body is still being held by the Israeli authorities.
The Palestinian prisoner associations have accused Israel of his death, stating that it is part of a strategic targeting campaign against doctors and the healthcare system in Gaza. They claimed that Israel is deliberately persecuting healthcare professionals and dismantling the medical infrastructure in Gaza.
We reached out to the Israeli army for a response, but we didn't receive any comment as of yet.
Dr. Marwan Abu Saada, the director of Al-Shifa Hospital, expressed his grief over the tragic loss of Al-Bursh, saying, "The news of his death is heartbreaking for everyone: his family, the staff at Al-Shifa Hospital, and Dr. Adnan's patients."
He further shared that he had inquired about Al-Bursh's whereabouts with the Israeli authorities but was left in the dark about his situation. Abu Saada was informed by a former inmate who had been released that Al-Bursh had been tortured and murdered.
We weren't able to independently confirm the allegations of Al-Bursh's torture in detention. However, numerous testimonies from former detainees who had been released by Israel allege widespread instances of physical and mental abuse during the bombardment of Gaza.
The IDF has maintained that they adhere to international laws in their treatment of detainees.
An exclusive report obtained by CNN from the United Nations reveals alarming accounts of beatings, sleep deprivation, sexual assault, and threats of sexual violence against both male and female detainees by the Israeli military.
A pre-published report of detainee releases on Thursday included the return of the body of Ismail Khadr, a Palestinian man from Gaza who perished in Israeli custody. This brings the number of Palestinian detainees who have lost their lives while in Israeli custody since October 7th to 18.
The vast majority of Gaza's 2.2 million inhabitants are on the verge of famine, facing a man-made humanitarian crisis. Israel initiated the military operation in Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks in October, which claimed more than 1,200 lives in southern Israel and resulted in the capture of over 200 people.
Since the beginning of the assault, over 34,600 people have lost their lives in Gaza, as per data from the Gaza health ministry. The dire situation in Gaza has sparked international outrage, with multiple requests for a ceasefire intensifying amid speculation of a planned Israeli military operation in Rafah.
There has been substantial criticism directed at Israel's actions in Gaza's medical facilities, as medical organizations and NGOs warn that the healthcare system is just a step away from collapse. Israel asserts that Hamas fighters used these hospitals to conduct military activities, running operations through an underground network of tunnels. Hamas and medical staff at multiple hospitals across Gaza deny these allegations.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
