Evidence Refutes Israeli Narrative Justifying the Killing of 15 Palestinian Medics

The New York Times obtained a video from the mobile phone of one of the victims, revealing the details of an Israeli attack that killed 15 medics, including eight from the Palestinian Red Crescent. The footage contradicts Israel’s claim about the circumstances of the attack on the rescue workers on March 23.

Israeli Military Killed 15 Palestinian Medics and Buried Them in a Mass Grave

Israeli occupation forces killed 15 Palestinian medics and buried their bodies in a mass grave discovered in Rafah’s Tal as-Sultan neighborhood, southern Gaza.

The emergency teams had been missing since March 23, when they responded around noon to rescue casualties following an Israeli military offensive. 

According to alerts from the Civil Defense at the time, displaced Palestinians in the area came under attack, and the rescue team that rushed in was “surrounded by Israeli troops.”

On March 31, search teams found the victims and their destroyed ambulances, which appeared to have been crushed and buried by Israeli military bulldozers.

The Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed that the medics and their vehicles bore clear humanitarian markings and accused the Israeli military of executing them “in cold blood.”

The victims included eight Red Crescent workers, six members of Gaza’s Civil Defense emergency unit, and a staff member from UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees.

The U.N. released footage showing the discovery of the medics’ bodies, still wearing their official uniforms and bright orange vests. Additional footage captured Palestinian Red Crescent, Civil Defense, and U.N. vehicles, all visibly marked with clear humanitarian insignia.

The International Red Crescent described the incident as the deadliest attack on its personnel in eight years.

Since the start of the war 18 months ago, Israeli attacks have killed over 1,000 health workers and more than 100 Civil Defense staff, according to the U.N.

Israel’s Misleading Account of Targeting Aid Workers

On March 31, Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military's spokesperson for Arabic media, claimed that the Israeli occupation forces “did not randomly attack” ambulances.

He alleged that troops targeted “terrorists” in “suspicious vehicles” that advanced without headlights or emergency signals.

According to the Israeli military, the vehicles were uncoordinated and posed a threat, but they did not provide evidence or clarify the nature of the alleged threat.

Israel claimed that they killed several Hamas and Islamic Jihad members in the incident, yet no supporting proof has been released.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar repeated the military's narrative, stating that “the IDF did not randomly attack an ambulance.”

New Video Exposes Israel’s False Claims on Targeting Aid Workers

A video recovered from the mobile phone of Palestinian medic Rifat Radwan, killed alongside 14 colleagues in Gaza, directly challenges Israeli claims about the attack.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) released the footage on Saturday. It displays the medics' final moments on March 23 in Rafah’s Tal as-Sultan neighborhood.

It shows them wearing reflective uniforms and moving in a clearly marked PRCS ambulance as the IOF opens fire.

The video features a red fire truck and ambulances navigating the dark streets. The vehicles stop along the roadside, and two uniformed medics step out. Moments later, heavy gunfire erupts.

In the recording, one medic warns, “The vehicle, the vehicle,” while another replies, “It seems to be an accident.” Seconds later, gunfire intensifies, and the screen fades to black.

Before the video ends, he says, “The Jews are coming, the Jews are coming,” seemingly referring to advancing Israeli military forces.

In a statement on Saturday, Gaza’s Government Media Office said the Israeli military carried out a “brutal and unprecedented” execution of medical and civil defence teams, calling it “another crime added to the occupation’s black record.” 

The statement also added that the video “completely disproves the Israeli occupation’s false and misleading narrative” that the vehicles approached “suspiciously” without clear signals.

Eyewitnesses Dispute Israeli Military’s Justification for Killing Medics

An eyewitness contradicted Israel’s military account regarding the killing of Palestinian medics. 

Munther Abed, the only surviving paramedic from the attack, told the BBC that the ambulances were clearly marked and had both internal and external lights on, making their humanitarian purpose unmistakable.

In an interview with the BBC, Abed described how the Palestinian Red Crescent, Gaza’s Civil Defense, and UNRWA response teams gathered in southern Rafah after receiving reports of casualties. “We left the headquarters roughly at dawn,” he explained. 

By 04:30, all Civil Defense vehicles were in position, and by 04:50, the last vehicle arrived. “At around 05:00, the U.N. car was shot at directly in the street,” he added.

He emphasized that the ambulances, whether day or night, had their lights on, making it clear they belonged to the Palestinian Red Crescent. “All lights were on until the vehicle came under direct fire,” he said.

After the attack, the Israeli military pulled Abed from the wreckage, arrested him, and blindfolded him. He said they interrogated him for over 15 hours before releasing him.

Furthermore, a forensic doctor who examined the bodies of the 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers killed by the Israeli military has stated there is clear evidence of execution-style killings.

According to Ahmad Dhaher, a forensic consultant who analyzed five of the victims at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis after their bodies were exhumed, the “specific and intentional” locations of the bullet wounds, which were inflicted at close range, suggest they were executed.

“All cases had been shot with multiple bullets, except for one, which could not be determined due to the body being mutilated by animals like dogs, leaving it almost as just a skeleton,” Dhaher told the Guardian.

Dhaher explained that preliminary analysis indicated the victims were shot at close range, not from a distance. 

“The bullet wounds were specific and intentional,” he said. “One observation is that the bullets were aimed at one person’s head, another at their heart, and a third person had been shot with six or seven bullets in the torso.”

Dhaher also noted that in other cases he examined, most bullets appeared to target the joints, such as the shoulder, elbow, ankle, or wrist.

Two witnesses who were present during the recovery of the bodies told The Guardian that they had seen signs of torture, with some victims' hands and legs bound, indicating they had been detained before their deaths. 

Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent, confirmed that one of the paramedics had “his hands tied together with his legs to his body.”

Israel Misuses a Name to Justify the Killing of 15 Medics

Following the Israeli military's statement that its forces eliminated Hamas member Mohammed Amin Ibrahim Shubaki, allegedly involved in the October 7 Operation, Israel claimed to have killed him alongside eight other Hamas and Islamic Jihad members.

However, Shubaki's name does not appear on the list of the 15 emergency workers killed.

Israel did not provide any evidence or disclose the location of Shubaki's body, nor did it explain the direct threat posed by the emergency workers.

Munther Abed rejected Israel's claim that Hamas used the ambulances as cover. “That's utterly untrue. All crews are civilian,” he told the BBC. “We don't belong to any militant group. Our main duty is to offer ambulance services and save people's lives. No more, no less.”

IOF Acknowledges It Was Incorrect About Attacking Medics

On Saturday, Israel's military admitted that its soldiers made mistakes in the killing of 15 emergency workers in southern Gaza on March 23.

The IOF acknowledged that its previous claim, which stated the ambulances had their lights off, was incorrect and based on the soldiers' testimonies. The new video obtained by The New York Times shows that the ambulances were clearly identifiable and had their lights on.

Global Condemnation of Israel's Killing of 15 Palestinian Medics

The death of 15 Palestinian medics has sparked widespread international condemnation, with human rights groups and U.N. agencies demanding accountability for the killings.

Germany called for a “comprehensive investigation” into the deaths of the medics, with Deputy Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kathrin Deschauer expressing concern, stating, “We find these incidents very disturbing.”

Spain also condemned the killings, urging a full investigation and calling for justice, accountability, and reparations for the victims and their families. “International humanitarian law must be respected in all contexts,” Spain's statement declared on Wednesday.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies expressed outrage over the killings, asking, “When will this stop?” in a statement on Sunday.

The U.N. labeled the killings of Palestinian medics and first responders in southern Gaza as “unacceptable.”

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric revealed that since October 7, 2023, 283 UNRWA staff members had been killed in Gaza, with at least 408 humanitarian workers killed since the ceasefire broke down. He stated, “Any targeting of humanitarian workers, of ambulance drivers who are doing their job, is unacceptable.”

Tedros Ghebreyesus, director of the World Health Organization (WHO), condemned the deadly attack on eight Palestinian Red Crescent medics.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk also condemned the attack, raising concerns about possible “war crimes” committed by the Israeli military.

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