Israel releases Jordanian doctor arrested during relief mission to Gaza

AMMAN, Jordan

The Jordanian authorities have announced the release of a Jordanian doctor who was arrested by Israel while heading toward the war-torn Gaza as part of a medical relief mission.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement on Sunday the release of Jordanian doctor Abdullah Balawi, who was arrested last December while attempting to cross into the Gaza Strip during a medical relief mission.

The statement said Jordan was engaged in "intensive diplomatic efforts" through the kingdom’s embassy in Tel Aviv to secure the release of Balawi.

The doctor was handed to Jordan at the Sheikh Hussein Bridge crossing with the presence of an officer from the Jordanian Embassy, the statement also said.

It added that the Foreign Ministry's operations center and the embassy in Tel Aviv were following Balawi's arrest on daily basis, and informed the Israeli side of rejecting the Israeli accusations against the Jordanian doctor, and demanded his immediate release.

Dozens of Jordanian doctors joined a number of medical relief missions by their country to help the Palestinians in Gaza who are enduring an Israeli genocidal war for over 15 months.

The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed more than 45,800 people, mostly women and children, since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on the enclave.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara