Gaza Herald – More than two years after his detention during the Israeli military raid on Nasser Medical Complex, Palestinian cardiologist Dr. Ahmad Shahada remains imprisoned without charge, as his family, colleagues, and patients continue to await his release.
Dr. Shahada, a consultant cardiologist who served at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis since 2008, was detained by Israeli forces on February 16, 2024, while treating patients during the assault on the hospital.
His wife, Suzan Shahada, said he was detained while carrying out his medical duties.
“He had no charges against him. He was simply doing his job as a doctor, caring for patients,” she said.
According to his family, Dr. Shahada chose to remain inside Nasser Hospital throughout the genocide, even after his family was displaced when their home in Khan Younis was damaged by Israeli attacks.
While his wife and children searched for safety, he stayed behind to continue treating patients despite the deteriorating conditions inside the hospital.
“He believed his responsibility was to remain with the sick,” his wife said. “The hospital became his second home.”
Even after his family was forced to flee, Dr. Shahada continued examining displaced Palestinians and providing medical consultations to those unable to access healthcare.
His youngest son, Omar, says he still struggles to understand why his father remains imprisoned.
“My father belongs with his patients, not in jail,” he said, appealing for his release.
According to the family, Dr. Shahada is currently held in Negev Prison under repeated administrative detention orders without being formally charged or brought to trial.
They say information received through legal representatives indicates that his health has significantly deteriorated in detention. He has reportedly lost a substantial amount of weight and suffers from asthma while enduring harsh prison conditions and inadequate medical care.
Colleagues at Nasser Medical Complex say his detention has left a critical gap in Gaza’s collapsing healthcare system.
Dr. Ahmad Shaat, head of the hospital’s cardiology department, described Shahada as one of the facility’s most dedicated specialists.
“He was always available whenever patients needed him,” Shaat said. “His place is inside the hospital saving lives, not inside an Israeli detention.”
Medical staff say the loss of experienced specialists has placed even greater pressure on Gaza’s overwhelmed health sector, where hospitals continue to struggle with severe shortages of personnel, medicines, and medical supplies after months of Israeli attacks.
For Dr. Shahada’s family, his continued detention represents not only the loss of a husband and father, but also the loss of a physician who remained alongside his patients until the moment Israeli forces stormed the hospital and kidnapped him away.
