Jerusalem, April 8 (V7N) – The Israeli military has revised its initial report regarding the killing of 15 emergency workers near the southern Gaza city of Rafah on March 23, but the investigation remains ongoing. The workers, including paramedics and emergency responders, were shot and later buried in a shallow grave, where their bodies were discovered by United Nations and Palestinian Red Crescent officials a week later. Another worker remains missing.
The military initially stated that soldiers opened fire on vehicles approaching their position without lights or markings, claiming that they killed nine militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad traveling in Palestinian Red Crescent vehicles. However, new evidence, including video footage recovered from one of the deceased men’s mobile phones, contradicted this claim. The video showed emergency workers in clearly marked ambulances and fire trucks with their lights on being fired upon by Israeli forces.
Palestinian Red Crescent paramedic Munther Abed, the sole survivor of the incident, confirmed that soldiers opened fire on the clearly marked emergency vehicles. The Israeli military acknowledged this new evidence, stating that it was reviewing the footage and other operational information. An official indicated that the initial report, which did not mention vehicle lights, may have been based on mistaken information from the field.
The Israeli military also reported that at least six of the 15 victims were identified as members of militant groups, but declined to provide evidence for these claims, citing the need to protect classified information. Despite the new details, the investigation remains open, and the Israeli military maintains that its forces were acting to protect themselves from what they believed to be a threat.
Both the U.N. and Palestinian Red Crescent have called for an independent inquiry into the incident. The U.N. confirmed last week that the bodies of the emergency workers were buried alongside their crushed vehicles, which included clearly marked ambulances and a U.N. vehicle.
The White House, in a statement on Sunday, held Hamas responsible for the incident, claiming the militant group uses ambulances and human shields for terrorism.
The Palestinian Red Crescent has demanded justice, stating that those responsible must be held accountable to prevent further similar incidents.
(Reporting by Reuters)
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