The Israeli military has updated its initial account of the deaths of 15 emergency workers near the southern Gaza city of Rafah, revealing new details but stressing that investigations are ongoing.
The paramedics and emergency responders were shot and killed on March 23 and found a week later in a shallow grave by United Nations and Palestinian Red Crescent officials. One individual remains missing.
Initially, the Israeli military claimed that soldiers fired on vehicles approaching their position “suspiciously” in the dark, without lights or markings, killing nine militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad. These militants, the military stated, were traveling in Palestinian Red Crescent vehicles.
However, new evidence has emerged, including video footage recovered from the mobile phone of one of the deceased workers and published by the Palestinian Red Crescent. The footage shows emergency workers in uniform, with clearly marked ambulances and fire trucks, being fired upon by Israeli soldiers. The only known survivor of the incident, Palestinian Red Crescent paramedic Munther Abed, also confirmed that soldiers opened fire on these clearly marked emergency vehicles.
An Israeli military official stated that investigators were reviewing the video, and further findings would be presented to army commanders shortly. Israeli media, citing military sources, reported that at least six of the 15 victims were identified as members of militant groups. However, the military official declined to provide further evidence or details about how these identifications were made, citing the need to protect classified information.
Despite the investigation’s ongoing nature, the Israeli military continues to assert that there were terrorists among the victims. However, they have not provided clear proof to substantiate this claim.
The United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent have called for an independent inquiry into the incident, demanding transparency and accountability.
At the time of the attack, 17 emergency workers from the Red Crescent, Civil Emergency Service, and the UN were dispatched to respond to injuries caused by Israeli airstrikes. Aside from Abed, another worker remains missing.
According to the Israeli military, troops initially opened fire around 4 a.m. on March 23, killing two Hamas internal security forces members and capturing another, who allegedly admitted to being part of Hamas. Several hours later, a group of vehicles approached, and troops, believing it was another incident similar to the 4 a.m. event, opened fire again. Aerial surveillance footage showed the troops were at a distance when they fired.
While the military denies reports of handcuffing or shooting paramedics at close range, the investigation into the deaths remains unresolved.
The military also confirmed that they notified the UN of the incident the same day, covering the bodies with camouflage netting until they could be retrieved. In the absence of a swift UN response, the soldiers reportedly covered the bodies with sand to prevent animals from disturbing them.
While the military pushed the vehicles out of the way with a heavy engineering vehicle, questions remain about why the vehicles were crushed and subsequently buried.
