Doctor Testifies to Severe Injury of Palestinian Prisoner, Disputes Abuse Claims at Field Hospital
A doctor who served at a field hospital following the October 7th attacks has come forward to detail the case of a Palestinian prisoner who sustained a severe abdominal injury, asserting it was unequivocally not self-inflicted and likely the result of torture.The doctor, speaking anonymously, recounted the events and defended the medical care provided at the facility while addressing accusations of widespread abuse.
The doctor explained that the prisoner, a man in his 40s identified only by a case number, was initially treated at Ashdod General Hospital after being brought in by ambulance.”They did a CT scan and an MRI…they discovered that he had a problem with his abdominal wall and they operated on him,” the doctor stated. Following surgery, the prisoner was transferred to the field hospital, where the doctor had access to the complete medical report.
“The injuries he had could not have been self-inflicted,” the doctor emphasized. “We promptly told the authorities that something was wrong. An investigation was opened, there were suspects.” The doctor described the injury as a rectal wound, “problably caused by an object such as a knife that made a hole in his intestines.” They clarified, “I am not an expert in forensic medicine, but it was not a human part that caused it.”
Despite limited interaction with prisoners due to protocol, the doctor expressed solidarity with the patient in basic Arabic and obtained consent for pain management. “I asked him: ‘How do you feel? Are you in pain? I will give you anesthesia, I need your permission.'” The prisoner did not,however,offer any account of the events leading to his injury.
The doctor testified to providing their medical opinion to judicial authorities,stating,”That the event you are talking about happened is beyond doubt for me.”
the case drew significant controversy, with right-wing activists and lawyers, including Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, initially accusing the medical staff of falsely accusing members of the Israel Defense Forces. The doctor noted, “Lawyers, members of the right-wing government accused us of accusing the heroes of the israel Defense Forces of having done this…Only later was the information leaked, when the investigation had already begun.” They added, “She made a mistake, but she’s not a criminal. The right now celebrates on his body.”
The doctor also refuted claims of widespread abuse at the field hospital, stating, “During my six months there, we never amputated a limb.The medical treatment was superb, absolutely professional.” While acknowledging difficult conditions for prisoners – “they didn’t make their life easy, I would say. They used dogs and there was noise at night and things like that” – the doctor maintained the case of the injured prisoner was an exception. They reported seeing only “handcuff marks, bed sores on their hands or legs” on other patients, noting many had received inadequate care prior to October 7th.
The doctor expressed concern over the prisoner’s release three weeks ago without a full testimony being taken, attributing it to the same political pressures that led to the arrest of the attorney general. They chose to speak publicly to counter “absurd things” circulating about the hospital’s practices.
