Government ministers and the parents of Israeli hostages were outraged to learn Monday that 54 prisoners and the director of Shifa Hospital, Muhammed Abu Salmiya, who assisted Hamas terrorists and kept Israeli hostages inside the hospital, were released from Israeli custody. Abu Salmiya claimed in public statements that Gazan prisoners are treated harshly in Israel and called for the release all Palestinian prisoners. Israel has not responded.
Abu Salmiya has been in Israeli custody since November when he was arrested after he was accused of "conducting extensive terrorist activities for the Hamas organization in the hospital under his management."
Upon his release, Abu Salmiya claimed that detainees in Israel suffer harsh conditions including hunger and thirst. "The enemy is committing crimes against medical staff. Hundreds of doctors, nurses and technicians are imprisoned," he added.
In another video posted after he was released, Abu Salmiya encouraged "resistance" and called for the release of all prisoners from Israeli prisons, calling on human rights organizations worldwide to visit the prisoners and see their "tragic" conditions. "Prisoners have lost weight, at least 25 kilograms. Everyone is suffering," he said. He promised to return to work and rebuild Shifa Hospital.
Israel has not yet officially responded to Abu Salmiya's release. But government ministers demanded answers.
"Yoav Gallant, can we get an explanation as to why this man whose hospital was a shelter for terrorists and where our hostages were killed was released?" asked Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli. "What?! It is inconceivable to make such a move without government approval! If you requested our consent on a hostage deal, it is beyond imagination to release terrorists without getting something back. I demand to stop this and convene the government," said Minister Minister of National Missions Orit Strok. "Seriously asking, on whose authority?"
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir added: "It's time to fire the Shin Bet director. He does whatever he wants, and Gallant is with him all the way. He doesn't give a damn about the government. He makes his independent policy, does what he wants, and has become the terrorists' welfare officer. They're suffering, they're not doing well, but is he supposed to take care of their conditions?"
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi wrote: "Israel needs a new security leadership. A leadership that is committed to the spirit and courage of the soldiers as much as the prime minister, and preferably sooner than later."
Abu Salmiya was arrested in November following evidence that even after the massacre committed by Hamas terrorists on October 7, the organization used the hospital as a shelter for its terrorists and also transferred Israeli hostages there. The IDF also recalled that a pathological report confirmed that the murder of Corporal Noa Marciano was carried out on hospital grounds.
Upon hearing that Abu Salmiya was released, Noa Marciano's father, Avi Marciano said: "Noa was neglected before October 7 when they didn't listen to her. She was abandoned on October 7 when they did not come to save her. She was also abandoned later when not enough was done to bring her home alive. And now, seven months after we buried her, the State of Israel decides to release those who are directly or indirectly responsible for her murder. Sorry, my girl, that even now you continue to be forsaken. I am willing to accept the release of those who have a part in my daughter's murder as part of a hostage deal. not like this.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office responded to the release Shifa Hospital Director Muhammad Abu Salmiya, stating that "the decision to release the prisoners follows discussions at the High Court in a petition against their detention in the Sde Teiman detention facility. The identity of the released prisoners is determined independently by the security officials according to their professional considerations. The prime minister has ordered an immediate inquiry into the issue."
Since Abu Salmiya's arrest seven months ago, the IDF operated again in Shifa Hospital in March, where 200 terrorists were killed and about 500 terrorists were arrested, including dozens of commanders and senior officials in various terrorist organizations. The IDF estimated after the operation in March that the likelihood that Hamas would use the hospital again as a terrorism hub or as an operational command center were slim.
In April, the IDF seized materials related to hostages in the hospital with new horrific videos from October 7, recorded by the terrorists as the documented their own actions. After the withdrawal of the IDF from the hospital, footage of civilians returning to the hospital, discovering burnt buildings and extensive destruction, went viral. The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry said that dozens of bodies were identified on-site. "The army withdrew from Shifa after burning buildings in the compound and rendering them completely useless. The damage to the compound is very significant," claimed the terrorist organization.
In January, the U.S. adopted the IDF's position that Shifa Hospital was a military command center and a place for holding hostages by terrorist organizations in Gaza. Intelligence documents showed that the terrorists left Shifa days before the IDF launched its extensive operation in November. While leaving the place, the terrorists destroyed documents and electronic equipment, tampering with evidence.