Palestinian surgeon Khaled Al Serr is released

On September 30, 2024, Palestinian surgeon Khaled Al Serr was released from Israeli detention after spending more than six months without charge or trial, half of which was incommunicado detention, under the unlawful unlawful combatant law. Dr. Khaled Al Serr was arbitrarily detained by the Israeli army on March 25, 2024, along with other medical personnel, from the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in the occupied Gaza Strip.

No further action is requested. MANY THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO SENT AN APPEAL.

On March 25, Dr. Khaled Al Serr, 32, detained by the Israeli army, along with several other medical staff, after a raid on the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern occupied Gaza Strip. For more than three months, his whereabouts remained unknown while Israeli authorities held him in conditions amounting to enforced disappearance. On July 4, 2024, his whereabouts were revealed by the Israeli army following a location request from Hamoked. On July 23, 2024, he received his first and only visit from his lawyer, who was provided by Physicians for Human Rights Israel.

After his arrest, Dr. Khaled Al Serr and other prisoners were held for five days in a civilian home in Gaza, where he said he faced torture. He was then transferred to the Sde Teiman military detention camp, where he was interrogated only once. In mid-June, he was transferred to Ofer military prison in the occupied West Bank, where he was held without charge or trial under the unlawful combatants law. In the testimony he gave to his lawyer, Dr. Khaled Al Serr said that he has been subjected to various forms of torture and humiliation since the first day of his detention. As a result, he suffered injuries to his chest and ribs. He constantly suffers from stomach pain and nausea. Despite repeated requests for medical treatment, he was denied access to adequate medical care by the Israeli army and the Israeli Prison Service. In addition to being tortured himself, Dr. Khaled Al Serr that he witnessed torture, including sexual violence, against other prisoners.

On September 30, Dr. Khaled Al Serr released from Israeli detention in Ofer military prison in the occupied West Bank and returned to the occupied Gaza Strip.

In a telephone conversation with the IOPT team after his release, Khaled Al Serr said: “For more than six months I was almost completely cut off from the outside world, except for one visit from the lawyer in July. I was worried about my family. In Gaza I was worried about my colleagues, but I also knew I was not alone.” Dr. Khaled Al Serr added: “While I was being interrogated by the Shabak, I heard that there was a campaign calling for my release. It gave me comfort and strength when I needed it so much.” Dr. Khaled Al Serr stressed the importance of continuing to campaign for detainees, especially medical staff and healthcare workers who are arbitrarily detained and subjected to torture in Israeli prisons. “As much as I am relieved to reunite with my family, I also feel guilty for all the prisoners I left behind, including health workers, who were tortured, denied medical care and knew nothing about their families,” he concluded.

The full testimony of Dr. Khaled Al Serr will be shared with our activists later.

NAME AND PREFERRED FIRST NAME: Khaled Al Serr (he/him).

THIS IS THE THIRD AND FINAL OUTPUT FOR UA 53/24.