CAIRO (Reuters) -An Israeli undercover force detained Marwan Al-Hams, a senior Gaza Health Ministry official, outside the field hospital of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, the ministry said. It said that Hams, in charge of field hospitals in the enclave, was on his way to visit […]
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Israeli undercover force detains senior Gaza health official, ministry says
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CAIRO (Reuters) -An Israeli undercover force detained Marwan Al-Hams, a senior Gaza Health Ministry official, outside the field hospital of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, the ministry said.
It said that Hams, in charge of field hospitals in the enclave, was on his way to visit the ICRC hospital in the city of Rafah when an Israeli force “abducted” him after opening fire, killing one person and wounding another civilian nearby.
Medics said the person killed was a local journalist who was filming an interview with Hams when the incident happened.
An ICRC spokesperson said the ICRC hospital had admitted and treated patients injured in the incident but would not comment further on their status in order to protect their privacy. It said it was “very concerned about safety and security” around the field hospital.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israel has raided and attacked hospitals across Gaza during the 21-month war in Gaza, accusing Hamas of using them as cover for military operations, an accusation the Palestinian militant group denies. But sending undercover forces to carry out arrests has been rare.
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; editing by William Maclean and Mark Heinrich)