AMMAN (Palestine Foundation Information Center) Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested the Jordanian doctor Abdullah Salameh Al-Balawi while heading as part of a medical relief mission to the Gaza Strip.
The arrest took place on Thursday, December 19 at the King Hussein Bridge, the border crossing between Jordan and the occupied West Bank, as Dr. Al-Balawi, a general surgeon at Al-Ruwaished Government Hospital, was part of a 12-member delegation organized by the Palestinian Australian New Zealand Medical Association (PANZMA).
The organization had obtained official Israeli approval for the trip.
The family of Dr. Al-Balawi said that “the medical delegation was informed by the Israeli side that he was under arrest for investigation.”
Israeli occupation police later informed the family that the Jordanian doctor was being held at Petah Tikva detention center. Authorities provided no explanation for his arrest or the conditions of his detention, the family added.
The family promptly contacted Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which initially had no knowledge of the detention but later confirmed it is following up on the matter.
The family explained that “after communicating with the lawyer, they were informed that the detention was extended to Thursday, December 26, with a ban on meeting the lawyer since the first hour of arrest.
The family confirmed that “the lawyer was not allowed to meet Dr. Al-Balawi, noting that Israeli authorities provided no explanation for his arrest or the conditions of his detention.”
The family has called on Jordanian authorities to take urgent action for his release.
Al-Balawi, a general surgeon working at the Jordanian Ruwaished Governmental Hospital, previously participated in a relief campaign to Gaza with the same organization, facing no issues at the time.
