Vigil held in London to commemorate Palestinian surgeon who died in Israeli custody

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - A vigil was held Wednesday in south London to honor Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, a prominent surgeon who recently died in Israeli custody.

Gathering in Ruskin Park near King's College Hospital, a group of people including British health care workers commemorated al-Bursh, who was the head of the orthopedic department at Al-Shifa Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip.

Al-Bursh, 50, was arrested by the Israeli army last December when he was temporarily working at Al-Awada Hospital in northern Gaza.

On May 2, it was announced that he died in an Israeli prison.

During the vigil, the crowd decried Israel's "systematic targeting" of health care workers and facilities in the Gaza Strip, where more than 34,800 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since Oct. 7 last year.

Pro-Palestinian Jewish protesters were among the attendees at the rally, where Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, and famed British-Palestinian surgeon Ghassan Abu-Sitta addressed the crowd.

Along with signs and Palestinian flags, the names and photos of health care workers killed in Gaza were also placed in the area during the vigil.

In his speech, Zomlot said that King's College Hospital should be proud of its connection with a person like al-Bursh.

His remarks came after the hospital reportedly denied that Al-Bursh was trained there.

"He moved from hospital to hospital to treat the injured," said Zomlot, praising the doctor's efforts in the besieged enclave until his arrest by Israeli forces.

The ambassador noted that Al-Bursh reportedly performed 41 operations in a single day, adding: "What a hero. He is the very definition of heroism."

"Make no mistake, Israel is engaged in a systematic assault on Gaza's health sector and all vital sectors," said Zomlot adding the aim of this systematic assault is because Israel wants Gaza "lifeless.”

- 'Israel wants to silence witnesses to its crimes'

Abu-Sitta also hailed his colleague's efforts, which continued until the Israelis "punished his dedication."

"The killing of Doctor Adnan is going to be the first of many such killings because Israel wants to silence the witnesses to its crimes," he noted.

Abu-Sitta expressed his concern over other health care professionals who are under Israeli detention, saying the lives of the 100 Palestinian doctors, nurses and paramedics are in danger."

"Therefore, we must now call for an immediate release of these 100 health workers," he added.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas which killed about 1,200 people.

Nearly 34,800 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and 78,100 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.