Israel released the chief of the Gaza Strip’s largest hospital on Monday after more than seven months of detention, Palestinian health officials said, a move that drew an immediate outcry in Israel even though no charges against him have been made public.
Mohammad Abu Salmiya, the director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, was taken into custody in late November as he took part in an effort to evacuate patients from the hospital, which at the time was under siege by the Israeli military.
The military said he was taken for questioning about Hamas operations at the hospital.
Reaction to Dr. Abu Salmiya’s release underlined divergent views of the war both inside and outside Israel.
Speaking at a news conference at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis after his release, Dr. Abu Salmiya, visibly frail, said that he had been released and returned to Gaza along with nearly 50 other Palestinian detainees, including other doctors and health ministry staff members.
Persons:
Israel, Mohammad Abu Salmiya, Abu Salmiya’s, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Khan Younis, Abu Salmiya
Organizations:
Al, Shifa, Nasser Hospital
Locations:
Gaza, Israel, Gaza City, Khan