Some 18 doctors and nurses from the Palestinian territories killed by Israel during the conflict have been revealed as being members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
An exposé by independent researcher and JC contributor Salo Aizenberg, which was published by the Times of Israel, found that the names and pictures of the deceased, which had been released over the course of the war by organisations including the Geneva-based International Council of Nurses (ICN), also appeared on lists compiled by the two terror groups.
Among these was Mohammed Akram al-Kafarna, the head of the Palestinian Nurses and Midwives Syndicate, who was killed by the IDF last September in what the ICN said was a “deeply saddening” incident.
“[Al-Kafarna was] among the hundreds of nurses and healthcare workers who have tragically lost their lives during the conflict,” ICN added in a Facebook post at the time seen by the Times of Israel.
But al-Kafarna's name also appeared on Hamas’ death list. According to the group, he was a fighter in the Nidal Nasser Battalion in Beit Hanoun, part of its Northern Gaza Brigade.
Likewise, Ahmad Adel Abu al-Hilal, who, according to Palestinian media reports after his death last May, was a nurse at the European Hospital in southern Khan Younis was also listed by PIJ as a fallen commander in its central information unit.
And Jaber Abd al-Hamid Mohammadin, who was killed in December 2024, and who the Gaza Health Ministry stated was an intensive care nurse at Rantisi Children’s Hospital in northern Gaza was listed by PIJ as a commander in its military manufacturing unit.
Finally, Aizenberg identified Fadi Jihad al-Wadiya, a physiotherapist, who was killed in June 2024 and who worked for humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
Again, PIJ confirmed that he was actually an assistant in its military manufacturing unit.
MSF told the Times of Israel that it “had no information indicating that Fadi al-Wadiya was involved in any military activity before he was killed by Israeli forces”, adding that it would “never” employ someone who was.
Al-Wadiya is still listed by the MSF as an employee killed by Israel.
The ICN has been contacted by the JC for comment.
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