[News] WHO voices concern over fate of al-Shifa Hospital chief

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/who-voices-concern-over-fate-of-al-shifa-hospital-chief>
WHO voices concern over fate of al-Shifa Hospital chief
Al Mayadeen English - November 25, 2023
------------------------------

The WHO says it was "extremely concerned" about the safety of the estimated
100 patients and health workers remaining at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
[image: 4d40c22d-8577-4726-8230-89eca09e93a3.jpg]

   - An image grab from a file handout video released by the Government
   Media Office in Gaza, shows doctor Mohammad Abu Salmiya, director of
   Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, giving a press briefing on November 1, 2023
   regarding the repercussions of fuel shortages on the hospital. *(AFP)*

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday voiced concern over the fate
of the head of Gaza City's al-Shifa hospital, Mohammad Abu Salmiya, whom
Israeli occupation forces arrested.

In a statement, the WHO said that the head of the biggest hospital in the
besieged Gaza Strip had been arrested on Wednesday along with five other
health workers, while they were taking part in a UN mission to evacuate
patients.

"Three medical personnel from the Palestine Red Crescent Society and three
from the Ministry of Health were detained," the WHO said.

Since then, two of the six have reportedly been released, but "we do not
have information about the well-being of the four remaining health staff,
including the director of Al-Shifa hospital," the statement added.

The UN agency called for "their legal and human rights to be fully observed
during their detention."

Abu Salmiya has been frequently quoted by international media about the
conditions inside al-Shifa, which had been targeted and raided by Israeli
occupation forces since the start of their ground invasion of the Gaza
Strip.

On Thursday the Israeli occupation military announced it had arrested the
hospital chief, along with a department head.

According to the WHO statement, the organization has carried out three
missions to al-Shifa in the space of a week, on one occasion managing to
evacuate 31 babies from the hospital.

During the third mission, on Wednesday, which was carried out in
cooperation with the Palestinian Red Crescent, 151 people were evacuated,
including patients, their relatives and healthcare workers, according to
the WHO.

It is noteworthy that the WHO had described the al-Shifa Hospital as a
"death zone"
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/gaza-s-al-shifa-hospital-a--death-zone---who>.
The assessment followed a visit by WHO and other UN officials to the
hospital.

Earlier on Friday, the Health Ministry in Gaza confirmed that Israeli
occupation forces withdrew from al-Shifa Hospital on the first day of the
temporary truce between the Palestinian Resistance and the Israeli
occupation.

But the WHO was "extremely concerned" about the safety of the estimated 100
patients and health workers remaining at al-Shifa, spokesman Christian
Lindmeier said.

Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said the Israeli occupation
military had withdrawn but the people remaining at al-Shifa were in a
battered complex whose "main generator is destroyed along with numerous
buildings."

"We're working on further evacuations from hospitals as soon as possible,"
said Lindmeier, highlighting that the latest evacuation convoy had left
al-Shifa with "73 severely ill or injured patients" including some in need
of critical care.

*Read more: Doctor that left al-Shifa Hosp.: Bodies on the ground
everywhere
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/doctor-that-left-al-shifa-hosp---bodies-on-the-ground-everyw>*
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