
Israeli army admits that its soldiers have made mistakes Kill 15 emergency workers March 23 in southern Gaza – but said some of them were linked to Hamas.
An ambulance from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), a UN car and a fire truck from the Gaza civil defense caught fire near Rafa.
Israel initially claimed that the troops opened fire because the convoy “suspiciously” had no headlights or flashing lights in the dark. The vehicle’s actions have not been coordinated or agreed to with the military before.
Mobile video taken by a killed paramedic showed that there was indeed light when the vehicle called the injured.
The video, originally shared by The New York Times, shows vehicles pulling on the road without warning, starting shooting before dawn.
The shots lasted more than five minutes, and the paramedics (named Refat Radwan) heard his last prayer before hearing the voices of Israeli soldiers approaching the vehicle.
The IDF briefed journalists on Saturday night that soldiers had fired earlier in a car with three Hamas members.
When the ambulance responded and approached the area, the air surveillance monitor informed the soldiers on the grounds of “suspicious advancement.”
When the ambulance was parked next to the Hamas car, soldiers thought they were threatened and opened fire, although there was no evidence of armed emergency teams.
Israel has acknowledged that its earlier accounts claimed that vehicles without lights were inaccurate and attributed the report to the relevant forces.
The video footage showed that the vehicle was clearly marked and the caregiver was wearing a reflective and efficient uniform.
The officer said soldiers buried the bodies of 15 dead workers on the beach to protect them from wildlife, claiming that the vehicle was moved and buried the next day to clear the road.
They were not discovered until a week after the incident, as international agencies, including the United Nations, were unable to organize safe passage or locate the area.
When the aid team found the body, they also found Refat Radwan’s phone, which contained footage of the incident.
The IDF insists that at least six medical staff are related to Hamas – but no evidence has been provided so far. It admits that when soldiers fire, they are not armed.
Military officials denied that any doctors were handcuffed before their death and said they were not executed at close range, as some reports suggest.
Earlier this week A surviving care worker told BBC And denied that his colleagues had connections with any radical organization.
The IDF promised to conduct a “thorough inspection” of the incident, saying it would “understand the order and handling of the incident.”
Red Crescent and many other international organizations have called for an independent investigation.