Israeli Health Minister Moshe Arbel has ordered to stop treating wounded Hamas militants in state hospitals. This order was given to the country's healthcare system after media reports suggested that the militants would be taken to state hospitals alongside wounded Israelis.
The head of the Ministry of Health has already informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of his decision, The Insider reports citing Ynet.
"Since the outbreak of hostilities, the issue of treating the cursed and shameful Hamas terrorists in public hospitals has caused enormous difficulties," Arbel Netanyahu said in a letter. – "In these difficult times, the health care system must focus entirely on treating the victims of the criminal massacre, IDF soldiers, and be prepared for what may happen. That is why under my leadership, the public health system will not treat them," he emphasized.
According to the minister, consideration of the issue of providing assistance to Hamas militants should be entrusted to the Israeli army or special services.
In an interview with The Insider, a former operational officer of the Israeli police's international department explained that this decision was made to prevent angry Israelis from carrying out lynchings. The expert added that, according to him, the issue has already been resolved and all the wounded militants have been transferred to hospitals of the Prison Service, with the military guarding these hospitals to protect the militants from public violence.
Hundreds of wounded militants are currently being treated in Prison Service hospitals, and 1700 were killed during the liberation of the settlements.
According to updated data, 222 Israeli Defense Forces soldiers were killed in Hamas attacks on Israeli territory, and another 97 were abducted by militants. According to Haaretz, the IDF released such data on October 12. The families of all the killed and abducted soldiers have been notified.