A Palestinian doctor has died in an Israeli prison after more than four months in detention, Palestinian prisoner associations have said.Dr Adnan Al-Bursh, 50, was the head of orthopedics at al-Shifa Hospital.The Israeli prison service confirmed that a statement published on 19 April about a prisoner who was detained for national security reasons and had died in Ofer prison was Dr Al-Bursh. No details were given on the cause of death, and the prison service said the incident was being investigated.
But the Palestinian prisoner advocacy groups said in a joint statement on Thursday that Dr Al-Bursh's death was an "assassination" and his body still remained in Israeli custody.Dr Al-Bursh was the head of orthopedics at Gaza's largest medical facility, al-Shifa hospital, which has been raided several times by Israeli armed forces.
He was temporarily working at Al-Awada hospital in northern Gaza when he was detained by Israeli forces. Gaza hospital in ruins after two-week Israeli raid.Israeli forces raid Gaza's al-Shifa hospitalWHO says Gaza's main hospital a 'death zone'Colleagues have paid tribute to the late surgeon, describing him as "compassionate" and "heroic".
Al-Shifa's director, Dr Marwan Abu Saada, said the news of his death was difficult for the human soul to bear. Another colleague, Dr Suhail Matar, called Dr Al-Bursh "the safety valve" for every orthopedic department in all of Gaza's hospitals. "It is rare that you meet a person like him in your life, because this doctor worked all his life with dedication and used to make tremendous efforts at the expense of himself," Dr Matar told BBC Arabic's Gaza Lifeline programme.
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