Israeli forces accused of abducting Gaza's top field hospital chief
Israel's reported abduction of a senior Palestinian physician in southern Gaza has drawn sharp condemnation from Gaza's Health Ministry, local authorities, and Hamas, who describe the incident as part of a broader campaign targeting the medical sector amid the ongoing war.
On Monday, an Israeli special forces unit allegedly abducted Dr. Marwan al-Hams, the director of Abu Youssef al-Najjar Hospital and Gaza's top official overseeing field hospitals, while he was visiting a facility affiliated with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Rafah. According to Palestinian officials, the assault involved direct fire on an ambulance, resulting in multiple casualties, including journalist Tamer al-Za'anin.
The Government Media Office in Gaza called the incident a 'war crime' and 'a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.' It held Israel 'fully responsible' for Dr. al-Hams' safety and demanded an international response. 'This is a grave breach of the most basic legal norms,' it said in a statement, calling for the international community to clarify its stance and act to stop such violations.
Gaza's Ministry of Health issued a strongly worded statement denouncing the abduction, describing it as 'a dangerous precedent and direct assault on one of the leading humanitarian voices who conveyed the suffering of Gaza's starving children and untreated wounded to the world.' The ministry added, 'This cowardly act reflects a premeditated attempt to silence truth and conceal the suffering of an entire people enduring the worst health and humanitarian disaster.'
The ministry demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. al-Hams and reiterated that the Israeli military would be held accountable for his fate.
In a separate statement, the Hamas movement condemned what it called 'a deliberate attack' on Gaza's health sector, citing the abduction and the killing of civilians during the raid. The group accused Israel of waging 'a campaign of extermination targeting all aspects of life in Gaza' and demanded urgent international intervention.
Hamas urged the World Health Organization, the ICRC, and other global institutions to condemn the incident and exert pressure on Israel to release detained Palestinian medical workers.
Israel has not formally acknowledged detaining Dr. al-Hams. No official statement from the Israeli military or government has confirmed the abduction. However, the Israeli army has previously accused some Gaza medical personnel of cooperating with Hamas or using hospitals for militant activities — claims that have drawn widespread international scrutiny and criticism.
Since October 2023, the war in Gaza has devastated the health system. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 400 medical staff have been killed, and more than 300 others detained. Dozens of hospitals and clinics have been destroyed or rendered inoperable.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that the collapse of Gaza's health sector has left civilians with little access to food, medicine, or emergency care.
Dr. al-Hams, a physician and spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, had been a visible figure throughout the war, regularly reporting on shortages in hospitals and the humanitarian crisis facing patients and displaced families.
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