The Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners Society announced today the deaths of two Palestinian detainees from Gaza in Israeli prisons. One of them was Dr. Adnan Ahmad Al-Bursh, 50 years old surgeon , head of the orthopedic department at the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza.
The other was identified as Ismail Abdul Bari Khader, 33 years old.
According to a joint statement by the two organizations, the Israeli army arrested Dr. Al-Bursh last December while he was at Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza with a group of doctors.
Information received by the Palestinian Civil Affairs Authority indicate that Al-Bursh died in Ofer Prison on April 19, and that his body remains withheld by Israeli authorities. He had been injured by Israeli bombardment while working at an Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza about five months ago.
As for Khader, he reportedly died in mysterious circumstances following his arrest, and his body was handed over today along with dozens of detainees from Gaza who were released through the Karm Abu Salem crossing.
The Commission and the Society considered the deaths of Al-Bursh and Khader as resulting from torture and medical neglect endured by Gaza prisoners, amid ongoing forced disappearance crimes practiced against them by the Israeli occupation.
The statement emphasized that what happened to Al-Bursh was a deliberate assassination, part of Israel’s systematic targeting of doctors and the healthcare system in Gaza. This includes the aggression launched by the occupation on Al-Shifa Medical Complex in recent months, resulting in its complete destruction.
The Commission and the Society noted that with the death of Dr. Al-Bursh, an imminent scholarly, medical, and patriotic figure has been lost. Until the last moment before his arrest, he remained at the forefront of his work, moving from one hospital to another to treat the wounded.
They also stated that with the deaths of Al-Bursh and Khader, the number of Palestinians who died in Israeli prisons and detention camps due to torture, medical crimes, and starvation policies has risen to 18 since October 7, 2023.
The statement reiterated that the data available about Gaza detainees remains scant, particularly regarding their identities, places of detention, and numbers. The only information provided by the occupation’s Prison Service refers to them as “non-legitimate combatants,” with a total number announced until the beginning of April standing at 849.
The two organizations renewed their call to the United Nations and all international institutions to fulfill their responsibilities regarding the crimes committed by the occupation against Palestinian detainees.
They stressed the need “to go beyond merely publishing reports, testimonials, and warnings, as after nearly seven months of genocide, all of this has lost its meaning, with the occupation being supported by clear international forces.”
Source: WAFA
