Israel tortures Gaza detainees ‘day and night’
- Palestinian detainees are tortured “day and night” in Israel’s prisons, the director of al-Shifa Hospital Muhammad Abu Salmiya has told Al Jazeera upon his release from Israel after eight months in detention.
- Israeli tanks have advanced on the Gaza City district of Shujayea trapping civilians amid intense fighting, according to Al Jazeera correspondents.
Ground invasion of Gaza City’s Shujayea area continues for fifth day
In central Gaza, there was intense Israeli artillery shelling in the eastern parts of Deir el-Balah.
The ground invasion continues in Gaza City’s Shujayea for the fifth consecutive day. It’s a densely populated area where some people were able to evacuate from but others stayed and were unable to leave; they were trapped in their houses.
People are injured and medical teams cannot reach them. There has been no water, no food for five days and the intensity of air strikes continues. Palestinians surrounding Shujayea are reporting that artillery shelling and air strikes did not stop. Israeli forces are blowing up a complete residential area.
It’s sad to see this happen again in Shujayea. In the 2014 war, the same area witnessed demolition and violence. This is the continuous cycle of systematic actions against Palestinians by Israeli forces.
Palestinian detainees must be part of truce talks until their release: Al-Shifa Hospital director
We’ve been reporting on the release of Muhammad Abu Salmiya, director of al-Shifa Hospital from Israeli prison. Abu Salmiya is one of 55 Palestinian detainees Israeli authorities released earlier today. This is what he told reporters from Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s Khan Younis:
“All the Palestinian detainees are suffering. I left them in a very dire condition. My message is that their issue must be part of any negotiations until all the Palestinian detainees are released,” he said.
“Al-Shifa Hospital will be rebuilt and it will be once again a beacon of healthcare for all the Palestinians, not only Gazans. I will resume my duties as soon as it is feasible.”
Thousands of Palestinians ‘going through hell on earth’ in Israeli prisons
Mansour Shouman, a Palestinian journalist and humanitarian who witnessed Israel’s war in Rafah and Khan Younis, has told Al Jazeera that “there are thousands more like Dr Muhammad Abu Salmiya who had been detained by Israel in the wrongful way over the past few months”.
“They are in terrible conditions both mentally and physically. They have no access to proper food or water, they are being tortured. They are going through hell on earth right now,” he said.
“Similar to how the international governments and organisations put pressure on the Israeli government to free Muhammad Abu Salmiya, we call upon them to also work towards freeing the thousands of other Palestinian detainees who are in those detention centres right now,” Shouman added.
Relatives of detainees flock to Al-Aqsa Hospital after Israeli authorities release 50 Palestinians
This morning, dozens of Palestinians have flocked to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, where some detainees arrived after their release from Israel, according to Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency Sanad.
Some people inquired about the fate of their missing relatives still in Israeli prisons. Former detainees reassured them that they were safe despite the difficult conditions they endure, such as torture and starvation.
Ben-Gvir calls release of al-Shifa Hospital director ‘security negligence’
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for the dismissal of the head of the Shin Bet internal security service over the release of al-Shifa Hospital Director Muhammad Abu Salmiya.
That’s according to Israel’s Army Radio quoting Ben-Gvir from the Israeli government’s WhatsApp group.
Ben-Gvir also made the remarks on X saying Abu Salmiya’s release was “security negligence”.
“The time has come for the Prime Minister to stop [Defense Minister Yoav] Gallant and the head of the Shin Bet from conducting an independent policy contrary to the position of the Cabinet and the Government,” he said.
Israel released al-Shifa Hospital director because prisons are full: Report
The director of al-Shifa Hospital, Muhammad Abu Salmiya, has been released along with dozens of other Palestinians because the Israeli prisons are full, according to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation.
Since the beginning of the war, Israeli forces have arrested hundreds of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, while the exact number of detainees in Israeli prisons is not known.
Prisoners held by Israel are going through ‘tragic conditions’: al-Shifa Hospital director
Following his release from Israeli detention, the director of al-Shifa Hospital, Muhammad Abu Salmiya, has confirmed that Palestinian prisoners are going through “tragic conditions” due to the lack of food, drink and torture.
He said hundreds of medical personnel have been detained by Israeli forces, and that a number of Palestinian detainees were killed while tortured.
He stressed that Palestinians in Gaza would rebuild the Strip, including his hospital.
Palestinian sources confirmed that Abu Salmiya was subjected to brutal torture during his detention in Israeli-run prisons.
Al-Quds Brigades claim attack on 5 Israeli settlements near Gaza
Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s armed wing, al-Quds Brigades, has claimed an air attack on Israeli settlements near the Gaza Strip, including Kissufim, Third Eye, Nirim, Sufa and Holit.
It did not elaborate on the results of the air raid.
The announcement came after Israeli media reported that about 20 rockets were fired from the south of the besieged Palestinian enclave. The reports said there were no casualties.
The Israeli army said on X that some of the rockets were intercepted. It did not say whether others caused any damage.
“[Israeli] forces are now attacking the sources of the fire with artillery,” the army added.
Israeli forces bomb 2 more towns in southern Lebanon
We earlier reported on Israeli forces attacking the villages of Kfar Kila and al-Bayyaada in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli army said that it also bombed buildings in the towns of Hula and Rab el-Thalathine in southern Lebanon, claiming they belonged to Hezbollah.
‘It’s in the Likud charter’ – Australian PM on ‘from the river to the sea’
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told the Australian Parliament “it’s just a fact” that the phrase “from the river to the sea” is used by supporters of Israel, as well as supporters of Palestine.
“It’s in the Likud charter,” Albanese said, after some members of parliament appeared to question his statement it was also used by supporters of a single Israeli state.
Albanese added that he “unequivocally” condemned the use of the phrase “because it speaks about a single state”.
Although Labor’s National Platform (PDF) said it expects recognising Palestine to be an “important priority for the Australian Government” under Albanese’s leadership, his government has said Palestinian statehood should be achieved “as part of a peace process in support of a two-state solution”.
Earlier today Albanese said that Senator Fatima Payman had undermined his party’s position by voting in favour of recognising a Palestinian state.
