“GRAVELY CONCERNED”
Israel’s military said it had killed more than 20 suspected militants and detained more than 240, including the hospital’s director, Hossam Abu Safiyeh, describing him as a suspected Hamas militant.
In their statement, Albanese and Mofokeng said they were “gravely concerned” at Safiyeh’s detention and demanded his “immediate release”.
“Yet another doctor to be harassed, kidnapped and arbitrarily detained by the occupation forces,” they said.
“This is part of a pattern by Israel to continuously bombard, destroy and fully annihilate the realisation of the right to health in Gaza.”
In a statement to AFP, Israel’s military insisted: “It has been well documented that Hamas uses hospitals and medical centers for its terror activities by building military networks within and beneath hospitals, launching attacks and storing weapons within the confines of hospitals, and using hospital infrastructure and staff for terror activities.”
It added: “We continue to call on the international community to unequivocally demand Hamas to immediately stop using hospitals throughout the Gaza Strip as a shield for its terror activities.”
