From the Liveblog of
Monday, July 1, 2024
Shifa director ‘surprised’ that Israeli cabinet was unaware of his release
Gianluca Pacchiani is the Arab affairs reporter for The Times of Israel
Shifa Hospital director Mohammed Abu Salmiya, who was released back to Gaza this morning, says he is “surprised” that members of the Israeli government did not know he had left prison.
In a first statement to local reporters in Gaza, Abu Salmiya says he was released unconditionally without charges. He further claims he was barred from meeting lawyers during his detention at the Sde Teiman facility in Israel, and that no international organization visited him or any of the other prisoners in jail.
Abu Salmiya was arrested in November 2023, about 7 months ago, as he was traveling south along the humanitarian corridor in Gaza, Channel 12 reports. According to the IDF and the Shin Bet security service, Abu Salmiya was detained over evidence that Shifa Hospital served as a Hamas headquarters.
The former director further claims that he was subjected to torture and food deprivation, and that prisoners do not receive medication. The Israel Prison Service does not immediately respond to a request for comment.
#عاجل مدير مستشفى الشفاء د. محمد أبو سلمية في أول كلماته بعد الإفراج عنه:
"وضع السجون مأساوي وصعب جدا، ويجب أن يكون هناك كلمة حاسمة للمقاومة والشعوب العربية من أجل حرية الأسرى". pic.twitter.com/p5J8UW5suk— أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) July 1, 2024
