On Tuesday, a Hamas terrorist, wounded in battle against IDF forces in the Gaza Strip, was admitted to Rabin Medical Center- Hasharon Hospital in Petah Tikvah due to injuries to his limbs.
The terrorist was hospitalized in the surgical department of the hospital after undergoing surgical procedures before being transferred to a POW facility at a military base in the south of the country. Officials at the hospital said that there is a directive from the Health Ministry that all hospitals in Israel must admit terrorists on a rotating basis.
Admitting terrorists to Israeli hospitals has been a fierce debate, particularly since the October 7 massacre.
During the initial days of the conflict, criticism mounted over the practice of treating terrorists at Israeli public hospitals alongside civilians and soldiers injured in attacks.
According to data from the Health Ministry, since October 17, some 12 terrorists have been treated in public hospitals in Israel. The remaining terrorists who were caught and needed treatment received it in non-civilian facilities.
Controversy: Admitting terrorists to Israeli hospitals
During the week after the October 7 massacre, "La Familia" Beitar Jerusalem soccer supporters stormed the Sheba Medical Center in order to remove a terrorist being treated there.
פעילי לה פמיליה מפריעים הערב לצוותי המיון בשיבא לטפל בפצועים ישראלים, באמצע מלחמה. מעסיקים כוחות שיטור בגלל האלימות שלהם. בושה. למה הם מתלהמים במקום לעזור לפצועים, למפונים, לצה"ל? מסיתים נגד כל הערבים. מה מרגיש רופא ערבי שמטפל כרגע במיון? ואין שם בכלל מחבלים מטופלים. pic.twitter.com/3Z3bmtvozN
— פרופ' חגי לוין (@HagaiLevine) October 11, 2023
Following this incident, Health Minister Moshe Arbel appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the treatment of Hamas terrorists in public hospitals.
In addition, Arbel ordered the Director-General of the Health Ministry, Moshe Bar Siman Tov, to move the terrorists to non-civilian facilities to be treated.
There are medical professionals who believe that hospitals in Israel should treat terrorists. Israeli organization Physicians for Human Rights issued a statement following these events: "As medical and health professionals, we call on the Ministry of Health and health institutions to adhere to the principles of medical ethics and professionalism and to provide equal treatment to every patient.”
Following the minister’s appeal, Bar Siman Tov spoke with the director general of the Defense Ministry. There is an ongoing discussion on the issue between the ministries.