A Palestinian doctor from the Gaza Strip, detained by Israeli forces and held for four months, has died in detention, Palestinian officials and detainee rights groups say.

Dr Adnan Ahmad Albursh, 50, the head of orthopaedics at Al-Shifa Hospital, the Gaza Strip’s biggest medical centre, was detained along with other doctors in December by Israeli forces when they raided a hospital, according to the Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, which advocate for the rights of Palestinian detainees held by Israel.

Israel’s military and prison service did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Times of Israel cited the military as confirming that the Israeli prison service had declared Dr Albursh dead on April 19, without giving a cause of death.

It said he had been detained for national security reasons.

Dr Albursh was detained while at Al Awda Hospital, where he fled after leaving Al Shifa, a prisoner rights group said.

“He had a determination to continue treating his fellow countrymen,” said his nephew Khaled Albursh.

New York Times News Service