Israel released the director of Gaza’s main hospital on Monday, seven months after detaining him over allegations that the facility was being used as a Hamas command center. Mohammed Abu Selmia’s release, without charge or trial, has raised significant questions about Israel’s claims regarding al-Shifa Hospital, which has been raided twice by Israeli forces since the start of the nearly nine-month conflict with Hamas.
Abu Selmia, who was held under harsh conditions, alleged that he and other detainees were subjected to torture. These allegations, though not independently confirmed, align with other accounts from Palestinian detainees released back into Gaza. “Our detainees have been subjected to all kinds of torture behind bars,” Abu Selmia stated at a news conference following his release. “There was almost daily torture.” He described beatings that resulted in a broken finger and head injuries, with guards using batons and dogs. He also claimed that medical staff at various facilities participated in the abuse, leading to severe consequences such as limb amputations due to inadequate medical care.
The Israeli prison service has previously denied similar accusations and did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding Abu Selmia’s release or his allegations of mistreatment. The decision to release him appears to have been made to alleviate overcrowding in detention centers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered an inquiry into the release, although his office noted that security officials independently determine whom to release based on professional considerations.
Abu Selmia was released back into Gaza along with 54 other Palestinian detainees, many of whom also alleged abuse. The release has sparked outrage across Israel’s political spectrum. Government ministers and opposition leaders insisted that Abu Selmia played a role in Hamas’ alleged use of the hospital, despite the fact that Israeli security services rarely release prisoners if they suspect militant links.
Israeli forces first raided Shifa Hospital in November, claiming that Hamas had established a command and control center within the facility. Abu Selmia and other hospital staff denied these allegations, accusing Israel of endangering thousands of patients and displaced people sheltering there. The military uncovered a tunnel beneath the hospital leading to a few rooms and other evidence of militant presence, but this fell short of the extensive claims made before the raid.
Abu Selmia was detained on November 22 while escorting a U.N.-led evacuation of patients from the hospital. He described his detention as “politically motivated,” noting that he was brought to court multiple times but was never charged or allowed to meet with lawyers. Israel has since raided several other Gaza hospitals on similar allegations, forcing them to shut down or significantly reduce services, even as tens of thousands have been wounded in Israeli strikes or sickened by the harsh conditions of the war. The army raided Shifa a second time earlier this year, causing heavy destruction after claiming that militants had regrouped there.
Hospitals can lose their protection under international law if combatants use them for military purposes, but any assaults on them must still be proportional to the military threat posed. The release of Abu Selmia has led to a blame game among various Israeli state organs responsible for detentions. Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister who controls the country’s police and prison service, called the releases “security negligence” and blamed the Defense Ministry. Opposition leader Yair Lapid described Abu Selmia’s release as another sign of the government’s “lawlessness and dysfunction.”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s office stated that the incarceration and release of prisoners is the responsibility of the prison service and the Shin Bet internal security agency. The prison service said the decision was made by the Shin Bet and the army, releasing a document ordering his release signed by an army reserve general. The Shin Bet noted that Abu Selmia had passed a risk assessment “compared to other detainees” and that the government had decided against its advice to release detainees deemed less of a threat to free up space.
Since the start of the war, Israeli forces have detained thousands of Palestinians from Gaza and the occupied West Bank, crowding military detention facilities and prisons. Many are held without charge or trial in what is known as administrative detention. Israel launched its offensive following Hamas’ October 7 attack, in which Palestinian militants killed approximately 1,200 civilians and took another 250 hostage. In its campaign, Israel has killed at least 37,900 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not specify how many were civilians or fighters.
Most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have fled their homes, with many displaced multiple times. Israeli restrictions, ongoing fighting, and the breakdown of public order have hindered the delivery of humanitarian aid, fueling widespread hunger and sparking fears of famine.
Source: AP
