Detained Palestinian doctor details horrific torture at al Shifa Hospital

A Palestinian doctor, Mustafa Jawad Siyam, who was detained in an Israeli prison, stated that he was subjected to physical and psychological torture during the Israeli army's occupation of Gaza's al Shifa Hospital in March.

The Palestinian doctor spoke to Anadolu news agency about the 54 days of torture he endured in an Israeli prison, saying: "Death in Israeli prisons was easier than torture."

Looking weak and fatigued, Siyam said he did not expect to be put on the list of detainees and face unfounded accusations.

In early April, the Israeli army launched intense attacks on al Shifa Hospital for two weeks.

Following the attacks, Israeli soldiers withdrew from the hospital, detaining Palestinians, including doctors, and leaving behind widespread destruction, numerous casualties, and mass graves.

During detention, Siyam recounted he faced not only food and water shortages, sleep deprivation, and extremely poor detention conditions but also psychological and physical torture.

Since his release on May 10, Siyam has been undergoing intensive treatment at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah due to the severe torture he endured during his detention.

Brutal torture

Stating that he was detained by Israeli soldiers while working at the hospital, Siyam said everyone, including the elderly, was detained alongside him.

He said: "We were subjected to investigation and physical and psychological torture. I was accused of baseless charges and forcibly sent to Israel."

Siyam emphasised that he only practised medicine and had no involvement in anything else, stating that the torture he endured was too horrendous to articulate.

Siyam said: "Detained and blindfolded Gazans are beaten up with their hands tied. The Israeli army releases dogs onto captives and provides them with poor-quality food."

Israel has launched a brutal offensive on the besieged Gaza since October 7 last year, killing more than 36,170 people and injuring around 81,400 others.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of "genocide" at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which, in its latest ruling, has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.