Adnan Ahmad Atieh al-Bursh (September 17, 1974 – April 19, 2024): Palestinian orthopedic surgeon, head of the orthopedics department at al-Shifa Medical Complex, and head of the medical unit at the Palestinian Footbal Association.
He was born in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip gained his general certificate of secondary education from Halima al-Saadiya school in Gaza and his Bachelor's degree in medicine from University of Iași in Romania. Upon his return, he specialized in orthopedic and joint surgery and held the Jordanian Board. He was a member of the Palestinian Medical Board Committee and gained a fellowship in complex fractures at King's College London. He also held a Master's degree in political science from al-Azhar University in Gaza.
Al-Bursh became a prominent figure in the Arab World and has headed the orthopedics department at al-Shifa Medical Complex since 2010 and was one of its pillars.
He insisted on continuing to work during the genocide. While he was working in the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip in November 2023, a video circulated documenting the moment he was injured and became soaked in blood while conducting a surgical operation in an Israeli airstrike targeting the hospital. He was operated on in the darkness due to a power outage, before Israeli forces raided the hospital and forced those in it to evacuate.
He then moved to Kamal Adwan Hospital then returned to work in al-Awda Hospital in Beit Lahya, until occupation forces raided this hospital too. In December 2023, Dr. Adnan al-Bursh was abducted and kept in Israeli jails. According to testimonies relayed by prisoner rights' organizations, he was subjected to severe torture, which led to his death. His body is still held.
- Palestinian Ministry of Health, Daily Emergency Report. 2024.
- Healthcare Workers Watch, Killing of Healthcare Workers by Israeli Occupation Forces in Palestine since October 7, 2023. June 2024.