A doctor at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City told AFP that Israeli forces arrested the facility’s director and several other medical personnel on Thursday.
“Doctor Mohammad Abu Salmiya was arrested along with several other senior doctors,” said Khalid Abu Samra, a chief of department at the hospital.
Israel continued to attack the Gaza Strip on Thursday after Israel’s national security adviser as cease-fire talks with the Hamas militant group were still ongoing, and the hostage release would not take place before Friday.
The cease-fire agreement between the Hamas militant group and Israel had earlier been confirmed by both parties, along with Washington and Qatar, which helped broker the deal that would bring a temporary halt to the devastating war that is now in its seventh week.
The Israeli government said that under an outline of the deal, Hamas will free over four days at least 50 of the roughly 240 hostages taken in its Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and Israel will release some Palestinian prisoners in exchange.
Egyptian state media say the truce will begin Thursday morning. Egypt helped mediate the cease-fire agreement, which would bring the first respite to war-weary Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 12,000 people have been killed, according to health authorities.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Wednesday he told U.S. President Joe Biden that he will press ahead with the war after a cease-fire expires.
