Basem Naim
باسم نعيم
Health Minister in the Gaza Strip
In office
2007–2012
Minister of Youth and Sports
In office
March 2007 – June 2007
Preceded by?
Personal details
Born1963
Beit Hanoun, Gaza
Political partyHamas
ProfessionPhysician, politician

Basem Naim (born 1963) is a Palestinian physician, politician, and Hamas official. Naim served as Minister of Health in the First Haniyeh Government; then, as Minister of Youth and Sports in the Palestinian National Unity Government of March 2007.

Minister of Health

After the Battle of Gaza and the dissolution of the unity government on June 14, 2007, by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Naim became Health Minister of the Gaza Strip in the First Haniyeh Government.

Following Hamas takeover of Gaza in 2007, Naim, who holds a degree in medicine from Germany and a PhD in surgery,[1][2] was named Minister of Health. As minister, Naim replaced Fatah-affiliated hospital directors and medical staff with Hamas-aligned individuals. One affected professional, Jomaa Alsaqqa, a 20-year surgeon at al-Shifa Hospital, was terminated for his Fatah support. He claims to have been arrested and assaulted by Hamas.[3]

He stepped down in 2012 and became the head of the Council on International Relations in Gaza.[2]

2023 Israel–Hamas war

In late 2023, Naim was Hamas's representative in Moscow. He participated in a delegation led by senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk to Moscow in October, during the 2023 Israel-Hamas war.[4]

In an interview with Sky News, following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, Naim asserted that Hamas did not target civilians.[5] Naim then gave examples of those whom he did not consider civilians: any Israeli armed with a gun, any Israeli involved in turning the Gaza Strip into an "open-air prison".[6] Likewise in an interview with 60 Minutes Australia, Naim repeated that he did not consider any Israeli working at a military base to be a civilian.[7] In both cases, interviewers confronted Naim with evidence that hundreds of civilians had been killed in the October 7 attack.

In his second interview On October 16, Naim reiterated that no Israeli civilians were killed and informed Sky News that the status of the 199 civilians held hostage remains uncertain. In a confrontational interview, he emphasized the difficulty of ascertaining their well-being due to the intense bombardment in Gaza. Naim further stated, "We have communicated to all intermediaries our willingness to release all civilian hostages once the aggression against our people ceases".[8]

Personal life

Naim holds a degree in medicine from Germany and a PhD in surgery. He has worked at the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. His eldest son was a member of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and was killed at the age of 17 during an Israeli incursion in Shuja'iyya.[1][2]

Naim has a large following on social media where he often posts anti-Israel and pro-BDS messages.[9] Naim has several times condemned terror attacks against Jews that occurred in the United States[10] and Germany.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 "JMCC - Basem Naim".
  2. 1 2 3 IBP USA. Palestine Business Intelligence Report Volume 1 Strategic and Practical Information. Lulu.com. pp. 24–. ISBN 978-1-4387-3748-5.
  3. ↑ Merav, Sarig (2007-11-03). "Striking medics in Gaza temporarily return to work after talks with Hamas". BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.). 335 (7626): 904–905. doi:10.1136/bmj.39384.458935.DB. PMC 2048866. PMID 17974666.
  4. ↑ Paccchiani, Gianluca (2023-10-26). "Moscow hosts Hamas delegation and Iran's deputy FM, prompting Israeli outrage". Times of Israel. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  5. ↑ "October 12, 2023 - Israel-Hamas war news". CNN. 2023-10-12. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  6. ↑ "Hamas official: 'We have not killed any civilians'" (video). youtube.com. Sky News. 10 Oct 2023. See video between 2:00 and 3:00
  7. ↑ ""Our fighters haven't committed any crimes": Hamas leader Dr Basem Naim - 60 Minutes Australia". 60 Minutes Australia. Between 1:00 and 1:35
  8. ↑ Austin, Mark (16 October 2023). "Israel-Hamas war: Hamas official 'doesn't know' if hostages are alive". Sky News.
  9. 1 2 Ynet (Oct 11, 2019). "In rare move, Hamas condemns Germany synagogue attack". ynetnews. Retrieved Aug 12, 2020.
  10. ↑ Levy, Elior (Oct 28, 2018). "Hamas official condemns Pittsburgh attack: 'proves that terror has no religion'". ynetnews. Retrieved Aug 12, 2020.
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