Gaza’s leading heart specialist, who studied in Pakistan, killed with his family in Israeli attack on his home

One of Gaza’s last remaining cardiologists, Dr Marwan Sultan, was killed along with his seven family members in a targeted Israeli airstrike on Wednesday. Israeli occupation forces bombed his home, reducing it to rubble. Dr Sultan was the director of the Indonesian Hospital and widely respected as one of the most senior and dedicated medical professionals in the besieged enclave.

Shock and grief swept across the war-torn Gaza Strip after the killing of Dr Sultan, who was known for his unwavering commitment to his patients. Despite relentless Israeli raids and worsening conditions, he never abandoned his post at the Indonesian Hospital.

A heart specialist by training, Dr Sultan had studied medicine in Pakistan. He graduated from Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, in 2001.

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Despite having opportunities abroad, he insisted on returning to Gaza to serve his people.

1- Dr Marwan al Sultan
2- Dr Adnan al Borsh

1- raped by Israeli occupation forces inside prison and tortured to death.
2- murdered by Israeli occupation forces along with his wife and five children pic.twitter.com/LNqafFuUJB

— Motasem A Dalloul (@AbujomaaGaza) July 2, 2025

According to his daughter Lubna, the Israeli airstrike was clearly targeted, hitting the exact room where her father was resting.

Dr Sultan had remained on duty for 21 consecutive months, treating patients under impossible circumstances.

In December 2023, he led the evacuation of the Indonesian Hospital after repeated threats from Israeli occupations forces. He made sure all patients and staff were safely evacuated, only leaving once everyone else had.

His loss has left a massive void in Gaza’s collapsing healthcare system.

According to the United Nations and other international health organisations, at least 492 doctors and healthcare workers have been killed in Gaza since October 2023.

Amid repeated Israeli attacks targeting civilian infrastructure and humanitarian zones in Gaza, the UN reports that no functioning hospitals remain in the northern part of the Strip.

Meanwhile, an acute shortage of medical supplies persists as wounded and deceased continue to overwhelm hospitals where healthcare workers struggle to save lives independently.

Over 57,012 Palestinians have been killed, the majority being women and children, while 134,592 civilians have been injured. According to Palestinian authorities in Gaza, nearly 11,000 bodies are still trapped under rubble.