Leading Gaza doctor dies in jail four months after being detained

Adnan Al-Bursh is one of at least 18 Gazans to die in Israeli custody since October 7 (Picture: Medical Aid for Palestinians)

Israel has been accused of ‘assassinating’ a prominent Palestinian doctor who died in an Israeli prison.

Adnan Al-Bursh, head of orthopedics at Al Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical facility, was detained by Israeli forces four months ago while working in Al-Awada Hospital in north Gaza.

He is the 496th medical sector worker killed by Israel since October 7, the Palestinian health ministry claimed.

At least 18 Gazans have died in Israeli custody since the start of the war, Reuters reported.

The Israeli prison service gave no cause of death when they announced a prisoner had died in Ofer prison, in the occupied West Bank, in a statement issued on April 19.

The aftermath of Israeli forces’ assault on Al-Shifa hospital and the surrounding area in Gaza City after their withdrawal in April (Picture: Mahmoud Issa/Anadolu via Getty Images)

But two Palestinian prisoner associations claimed Al-Bursh’s death was an assassination.

In a joint statement released on Thursday, they said his body remained in Israeli custody.

The prison service said it is investigating his death.

The body of another man who died in detention was released on Thursday along with 64 Palestinian prisoners detained during Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.

One of the freed detainees was in critical condition when they arrived at the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing. They were moved to hospital.

Palestinian forensic experts search for bodies around Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on April 17, 2024 (Picture: AFP via Getty Images

Ill-treatment, torture and deprivation of food and sleep during detention has been alleged by dozens of Palestinians freed by Israel in recent months.

Al-Bursh was allegedly detained for national security reasons.

At least 309 health workers have been arrested by Israel since October 7, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Israel has frequently accused Hamas of running military operations from hospitals and of using healthcare staff and patients as human shields for its fighters.

Hamas and medical workers deny these allegations.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) depicted Al-Shifa hospital as a nerve centre of Hamas operations, equipped with tunnels, prior to Israel’s capture of it last year.

An evacuation of patients and refugees caused dozens of patient deaths and casualties, but the evidence found there fell well short of proving the claim.

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