Al-Shifa hospital chief released after seven months

The head of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza has been released after more than seven months of detention by Israel.

Dr Mohammed Abu Salmiya said he thought that the current conditions for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails were worse than ever.

At the time of his arrest, the Israeli military said there was evidence that al-Shifa hospital under his management had served as a Hamas command and control centre. Hamas and the hospital administration denied this.

A number of Israeli ministers and politicians have denounced his release.

As he was released, Dr Abu Salmiya alleged that some medical staff detained by Israel had died in prison of torture.

In April, Dr Adnan al-Bursh – who was head of orthopaedics at al-Shifa hospital – is reported to have died in detention.

Dr Abu Salmiya also said that Palestinian prisoners were facing verbal and physical humiliation, as well as a lack of food and water.

“We were subjected to severe torture, and my little finger was broken. I was repeatedly subjected to being hit on the head, causing bleeding many times,” he alleged.

“There was almost daily torture in the Israeli prisons. When prisoners’ cells were raided, they were severely beaten every day.”

Similar allegations of mistreatment have been made by some of the thousands of Palestinians detained since war erupted between Israel and Hamas.

The Israeli prison service told the BBC it was not aware of the claims by Dr Abu Salmiya, but said that all prisoners are detained according to the law and prisoners had the right to file a complaint.

In Israel, several ministers and leading politicians have expressed outrage at Dr Abu Salmiya’s release.

The former war cabinet minister, Benny Gantz, said a government that freed suspects accused of sheltering those responsible for the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October should resign.

The far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has called for the head of the Israel’s internal security service, Shin Bet, to be dismissed.

For its part, Shin Bet has issued a statement saying that overcrowding in Israeli jails is forcing the release of detainees such as Dr Abu Salmiya.

It added that he met all the requirements for release with regard to the threat he might pose – but said it would investigate the decision to free him.