Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is awaiting the results of an investigation into the release of a prominent Palestinian doctor.
The outcome of the investigation by the domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet, ordered by Netanyahu into the “grave mistake” of releasing al-Shifa hospital director Muhammad Abu Salmiya, who has attracted international attention with his allegations that Gaza detainees are routinely mistreated, was expected on Tuesday.
The director of Gaza’s most important hospital before it was reduced to rubble by Israeli bombardment was released Monday, along with 54 other prisoners. He was arrested seven months ago as the Israeli army laid siege to Al-Shifa, claiming that Hamas, the group that rules the Palestinian enclave, was using it as a base.
Following their release, which was carried out to free up space in overcrowded Israeli prisons, according to unconfirmed reports, Abu Salmiya and others claimed to have suffered daily abuse and torture while incarcerated.
Israeli raids and heavy fighting have devastated Al-Shifa. All other medical facilities in Gaza have also suffered damage, raising concerns about access to medical care for the wounded and displaced populations of Gaza who are suffering from hunger.
“Serious mistake”
Anger quickly erupted in Tel Aviv after the release was announced.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the move “security negligence.”
Netanyahu, under pressure from his hard-line coalition partners including Ben-Gvir, quickly claimed he had not been informed of the planned release and ordered the Shin Bet to investigate the matter.
“The release of the director of Shifa Hospital is a grave mistake and a moral failure. The place of this man, under whose responsibility our kidnapped people were murdered and detained, is in prison,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
The decision was taken “without informing the political level,” he insisted.
Former war cabinet member Benny Gantz also denounced the move, saying whoever ordered the release should be removed from their positions. He also called on Netanyahu to “close some government offices to free up space and budget for the prisoners.”
The Shin Bet defended the release on Monday, saying it had obtained the Israeli military’s agreement “to free up space in detention centers.”
She said she “opposed the release of terrorists” who had participated in attacks against Israeli civilians, “which is why it was decided to release several Gaza detainees who pose less danger.”
‘Beaten’
Abu Salmiya and others released with him described harsh detention conditions and “severe torture” they suffered in Israeli prisons.
“Several detainees died in interrogation centers and were deprived of food and medicine,” the doctor said, adding that the beatings were regular. “The detainees were subjected to physical and psychological humiliation.”
Others among the 55 released supported his claims.
“This is nothing but total torture,” said Faraj al-Samouni. Arrested about six months ago near his home in Gaza, he said detainees were “tortured, beaten and their genitals were hit.”
Abu Salmiya was not the only high-ranking doctor arrested during the Gaza war.
In May, Palestinian human rights groups reported that a senior al-Shifa surgeon had died in an Israeli prison after being arrested. The Israeli military said it was unaware of the death.
Gaza’s European Hospital in Khan Younis said the head of its orthopedic unit, Bassam Miqdad, was also among those released on Monday.
Hamas has long denied using hospitals as a shield for its operations. It has called on the United Nations and other countries to “put an end to this massacre” of prisoners in Israeli jails.
The Palestinian group also called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to “reveal the fate of thousands of Palestinian detainees” in Israel.