Dr. Adnan al-Bursh
Family demands Palestinian surgeon’s body after death in ‘Israeli’ custody
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Al-Bursh, who headed the orthopedic department at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, was detained in December 2023.
- A UN Commission of Inquiry said it received confirmations that al-Bursh was subjected to sexual violence while in ‘Israeli’ detention.
- His wife made the appeal during a statement to the UN Human Rights Council, calling for the release of other Palestinian bodies held by ‘Israeli’ authorities.
The wife of Palestinian doctor Adnan al-Bursh has appealed for the release of his body, more than two years after his death in ‘Israeli’ custody.
Yasmin al-Bursh made the appeal during a remote statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council's 63rd session, delivered on behalf of Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.
Al-Bursh, who headed the orthopedic department at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, was detained by ‘Israeli’ forces on Dec. 19, 2023, along with other medical personnel during a military siege of Al-Awda Hospital.
The report said he was later transferred to Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank on April 19, 2024. Testimony collected by the ‘Israeli’ human rights organization HaMoked said al-Bursh arrived at the prison in severely injured condition and was unable to stand. He died shortly afterward, according to the testimony.
The UN Commission of Inquiry has also said it received confirmations that al-Bursh was subjected to sexual violence while in ‘Israeli’ detention.
His wife said he had been in good physical condition before his arrest and described the continued detention of his body as a source of prolonged suffering for the family.
Al-Bursh called on the international community and members of the Human Rights Council to pressure ‘Israeli’ authorities to release her husband's body, as well as the bodies of other Palestinians being held, so their families can bury them.
She said ‘Israeli’ authorities had been holding her husband's body for more than two and a half years and that hundreds of other families were experiencing similar anguish.
Al-Bursh also said more than 1,700 Palestinian bodies remain held by ‘Israel’, including people killed by ‘Israeli’ army fire or who died in ‘Israeli’ prisons, according to the report.
Read more: 105 Palestinians buried in Gaza City after remains recovered from rubble
