Was a prominent doctor in Gaza deliberately targeted? His family has no doubts

The death of Dr. Marwan al-Sultan, a renowned cardiologist and director of the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza City, is a great loss for the entire Palestinian medical community. His children are confident that the airstrike was not a coincidence, but a specially planned attack.

Dr. al-Sultan, his wife, daughter, sister and son-in-law were killed this week in a rocket attack by the Israeli air force. The strike targeted the apartment where they lived. Their residence was a temporary shelter for displaced people from northern Gaza.

“All the rooms are intact, except for the room where my father was completely destroyed. The rocket hit that room,” said Lubna, the doctor’s surviving daughter. This shows that the attack was not accidental, she said.

His son, Ahmed, described it as a “deliberate attack.” “Only the 4th and 5th floors, where our family lived, were hit. There is no other explanation for this. This was my father’s punishment for his dedication to his profession. He worked tirelessly until his death.”

According to Ahmed, Dr. al-Sultan was there 10 minutes before the unexpected attack. When he returned, it was difficult to describe the scene he saw: “I couldn’t tell who was alive and who was dead. Some of the bodies were in pieces. Many of the victims were women and children.”

Dr. Marwan al-Sultan was a valued member of not only his family but also the entire Gaza community. He was not only a cardiologist, but also a respected medical professional and leader. According to Healthcare Worker Watch, he was one of the last two cardiologists in Gaza.

Ahmed said, “My father was respected by everyone. He never left the Indonesian hospital or the Kamal Adwan hospital during the siege. In the first months of the war, we would only see each other briefly. He was always at the hospital.”

With the death of Al-Sultan, all the hospital directors in northern Gaza were either killed in the war or arrested by the Israeli military. Among them are Dr. Ahmed Al-Kahlout, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, his deputy Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, and Dr. Ahmed Muhanna, the director of Al-Aoda Hospital, who are currently being held in Israeli prisons.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement on the attack: “A senior Hamas terrorist was targeted in the Gaza City area on Wednesday. It is being investigated whether innocent civilians were harmed. The IDF regrets the harm to civilians and works to reduce such incidents. The Hamas terrorist organization uses civilians as human shields in violation of international law. This incident is under investigation.”

According to Healthcare Worker Watch, Dr. al-Sultan was the 70th medical worker killed by Israeli airstrikes in the past 50 days. The United Nations has reported that more than 1,400 medical workers have been killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023.

Under the Geneva Conventions, targeting medical personnel during wartime is a war crime. These laws require the protection of doctors and hospitals. They must continue to provide medical care to patients and will be protected.

The attack on Dr. Marwan al-Sultan is indeed suspicious and has led many to suspect that he was deliberately targeted. The fact that only two floors of the building were damaged in the attack is seen as significant evidence to support these suspicions.

This is not only a family’s loss, but a tragic loss for the entire community. Losing highly qualified doctors in a besieged area like Gaza is not only a loss of human dignity, but also a loss of public health. Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!