Israel’s government has admitted its first accounts of a dangerous strike that killed 15 emergency personnel in Gaza was “mistaken”, following the emergence of video images contradicting its promises.
The deaths occurred on March 23 near Rafah, in the Tel al-Sultan city of southeastern Gaza, during Israeli military activities.
As per information agency Associated Press, the Israeli military first said its soldiers opened fire because the convoy, comprising Palestinian Red Crescent vehicles, Civil Defence cars, and a UN car, was approaching” curiously” without lamps or emergency signs.
But, phone footage taken by one of the doctors who was killed shows the cars evidently had flashing emergency lights and apparent logos.
The six-minute video, recovered from the pocket of a dead paramedic and verified by a surviving colleague, captures the convoy approaching an already hit ambulance. Gunfire erupts without warning, lasting over five minutes. ” Forgive me, mother. This is the path I chose, mother, to help people”, the medic can be heard saying before the video ends.
Eight Red Crescent staff, six Civil Defence workers, and one UN employee were killed. One medic, Assaad al-Nassasra, remains missing. A surviving paramedic, Munzer Abed, told AP he was beaten, stripped, and interrogated by Israeli soldiers who also shot at the incoming vehicles.
According to the BBC, the Israeli Defense Forces ( IDF) now acknowledges the convoy had lights on and says earlier reports were based on inaccurate field reports. It also admits the paramedics were unarmed but continues to allege that some were affiliated with Hamas.
An Israeli military official claimed troops mistook the medics for militants because the convoy stopped near a car previously used by Hamas. The IDF also confirmed soldiers buried the bodies and vehicles the next day, saying it was to” clear the road” and “protect the bodies from wild animals”. UN personnel uncovered the site a week later.
Jonathan Whittall from the UN’s humanitarian office ( OCHA ) in Gaza dismissed Israeli claims that the medics had militant ties, stating,” They were buried in their uniforms with their gloves on. They were ready to save lives”.
The Palestinian Red Crescent and several international organisations are now calling for an independent investigation. ” We don’t trust any of the army investigations”, said PRCS President Younes Al-Khatib at the UN.
According to the UN, over 150 emergency responders and more than 1, 000 health workers have been killed in Gaza since the conflict escalated in October 2023, when Hamas launched a cross-border attack that killed 1, 200 Israelis. Israel’s military response has since claimed over 50, 600 lives in Gaza, as per the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
