Introduction
Basem Naim (Arabic: باسم نعيم, Bāsim Naʿīm; 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. He resides in Istanbul, Türkiye.
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 says that he holds a degree in medicine from Germany and a PhD in surgery, 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.
He stepped down in 2012 and became the head of the Council on International Relations in Gaza.
Israel–Hamas war
In October 2023, while acting as Hamas's representative in Moscow, Basem participated in a delegation led by senior Hamas member Mousa Abu Marzook, holding talks on foreign hostages in Gaza.
In an interview with Sky News, following the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, Naim said that Hamas did not kill civilians. Likewise in an interview with 60 Minutes Australia, Naim repeated that Hamas fighters haven't committed any crimes. In both cases, interviewers confronted Naim with evidence that hundreds of civilians had been killed in the October 7 attack.
In another interview with Sky News on 16 October, Naim reiterated the claim that no Israeli civilians were killed and shared that the status of the 199 civilians held hostage remains uncertain. 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".
In 2024 The Washington Post named Naim among key spreaders of disinformation online about the Hamas attack against Israel.
Opinions
He criticised the United States' role in the war, saying: "While these crimes have been committed with Israeli hands, they were sponsored and backed up by the US administration".
Naim had a large following on social media where he often posted anti-Israel and pro-BDS messages. Naim has condemned terror attacks against Jews that occurred in the United States and Germany several times.
Personal life
Naim holds a degree in medicine from Germany[verification needed] and a PhD in surgery[verification needed]. 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.