One of Gaza’s most senior doctors, Dr Marwan al-Sultan, has been killed in an Israeli airstrike, in what Palestinian medical officials have described as a “catastrophic loss” to the territory’s devastated healthcare system. Several members of his family were also reportedly killed in the strike.
Dr Al-Sultan, a prominent cardiologist and director of the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, is believed to be the 70th healthcare worker killed in Israeli attacks over the past 50 days, according to Healthcare Workers Watch (HWW), a Palestinian medical organisation that tracks violations against medical professionals.
Muath Alser, director of HWW, condemned the killing, stating:
“The killing of Dr Marwan al-Sultan by the Israeli military is a catastrophic loss to Gaza and the entire medical community, and will have a devastating impact on Gaza’s healthcare system.”
“This is part of a much longer and systematic atrocious targeting of healthcare workers sanctioned by impunity. This is a tragic loss of life, but also an obliteration of decades of lifesaving medical expertise and care, at a time when the situation facing Palestinian civilians is unfathomably catastrophic.” He added.
Dr Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of Al-Shifa Hospital, expressed heartbreak at the news:
“We are in great shock and grief. He cannot be replaced. He was a prominent scholar and one of only two cardiologists remaining in Gaza. Thousands of heart patients will suffer as a result of his killing. His only fault was that he was a doctor. We have no option but to be steadfast, but the sense of loss is devastating.”
Al-Sultan had recently spoken to The Guardian about the dire conditions faced by staff at the Indonesian Hospital amid the relentless rise in casualties following the intensification of Israeli airstrikes in May.
Since the war began in October 2023, over 1,400 healthcare workers have been killed in military attacks, according to United Nations figures. These include doctors, nurses, paramedics, midwives, radiology technicians, and young medical graduates, many of whom were targeted while working in hospitals, evacuating patients, or sheltering with their families.
On 6 June, the first day of Eid, nine healthcare workers were killed in a single day in airstrikes in northern Gaza, where they were reportedly seeking refuge with their families.
Other Gaza family
Among those mourning losses is Fares Afana, who heads ambulance services in northern Gaza. His son, Bara’a, also a paramedic, was killed on 9 June when the building where he was treating victims was struck again by Israeli artillery. Everyone inside was killed.
According to Insecurity Insight, a conflict-monitoring NGO, many healthcare workers have died while attempting to treat the wounded or evacuate patients, often in hospitals, ambulances, refugee camps, or makeshift shelters. Some were reportedly killed by Israeli sniper fire, while others died at checkpoints or in schools repurposed as temporary havens.
Meanwhile, rights groups say hundreds of healthcare professionals from Gaza remain detained in Israeli prisons. Many, including senior medical staff, have reported being tortured, beaten, and held without charge.
The US-based medical NGO MedGlobal estimates that over 300 medical personnel are currently imprisoned, including Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan hospital, who has been detained since December 2024.
As attacks on medical infrastructure and personnel continue, international pressure is mounting for accountability and the protection of healthcare workers under international humanitarian law. However, for many in Gaza, the loss of Dr al-Sultan is a particularly painful blow, symbolising the broader collapse of a healthcare system once supported by professionals of extraordinary calibre and dedication.
