Doctor Claims Israeli Troops Mistreated Hospital Staff and Patients in Gaza

Illustration of ambulance convoys in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. (Twitter/@PalestinineRCS)

JAKARTA - A doctor at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza claims his staff and patients were abused by Israeli soldiers, after they were taken from the hospital to a nearby military examination center.

The doctor, who declined to be named out of fear for his safety, told CNN in a telephone interview, as quoted December 14, that dozens of men at the hospital had complied with orders from the Israeli military on Tuesday to form a line outside the facility.

They were then herded about 500 meters to what he called a "military screening camp" in the Al-Birawi area on the outskirts of Beit Lahia.

At that location, he told CNN, they were told to take off their clothes and were given blue overalls. They were handcuffed and sorted into groups based on the level of threat they felt, doctors said.

Not only that, he claimed that the prisoners were physically and verbally abused while being handcuffed. When clashes occurred, Israeli soldiers took cover behind the prisoners, he continued.

However, the doctor's claim cannot be verified.

CNN has requested comment from the Israel Defense Forces about how staff, patients and others at Kamal Adwan were processed after leaving the hospital.

"The IDF continues to act against Hamas strongholds in northern Gaza, among them in the Beit Lahia area. The IDF is taking all possible precautions to reduce the harm to civilians, and is fighting against Hamas, not against civilians in Gaza or medical teams operating there. This is in accordance with international law," the IDF said in a statement.

The doctor added that after several hours, the detainees – numbering around 1,000 people – were released and instructed to head to a specific area in southern Gaza.

Gunfire wounded several members of the group, he said, as they walked south.