GAZA – The head of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza has been released after more than seven months of detention by Israel. Dr Mohammed Abu Salmiya said he thought that the current conditions for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails were worse than ever.

At the time of his arrest, the Israeli military said there was evidence that al-Shifa hospital under his management had served as a Hamas command and control centre. Hamas and the hospital administration denied this. A number of Israeli ministers and politicians have denounced his release.

As he was released, Dr Abu Salmiya alleged that some medical staff detained by Israel had died in prison of torture. In April, Dr Adnan al-Bursh – who was head of orthopaedics at al-Shifa hospital – is reported to have died in detention.

Dr Abu Salmiya also said that Palestinian prisoners were facing verbal and physical humiliation, as well as a lack of food and water. “We were subjected to severe torture, and my little finger was broken. I was repeatedly subjected to being hit on the head, causing bleeding many times,” he alleged. “There was almost daily torture in the Israeli prisons. When prisoners’ cells were raided, they were severely beaten every day.” Similar allegations of mistreatment have been made by some of the thousands of Palestinians detained since war erupted between Israel and Hamas. (BBC)…[+]