Red Crescent calls for inquiry into Israel's killing of Gaza paramedics

The Palestine Red Crescent Society has called for an independent international investigation into the Israeli military's killing of 15 emergency workers in southern Gaza.

The organization released a full video retrieved from the phone of one of the eight paramedics who died when Israeli troops opened fire on an ambulance convoy on March 23. It described the attack as a "fully-fledged war crime" and demanded accountability for those responsible.

In response, Israel's military stated on Monday that a preliminary investigation showed the troops opened fire due to a perceived threat after a previous encounter in the area, claiming that six of the deceased were identified as Hamas militants. No evidence was provided to support this claim.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society has called for an independent international inquiry into the killing of 15 emergency workers by Israeli forces in southern Gaza.

The organization released a video found on the phone of one of its eight paramedics who died when Israeli troops opened fire on a convoy of ambulances on March 23. The Red Crescent described the attack as a "fully-fledged war crime" and called for accountability for those responsible.

Israel's military responded on Monday, stating that a preliminary investigation suggested the troops fired due to a perceived threat following an earlier encounter in the area. They claimed that six of the deceased were identified as Hamas militants, though no evidence was provided to support this assertion.

A surviving Red Crescent paramedic denied that any of the workers were affiliated with armed groups.

Initially, Israel's military stated that troops fired on "suspicious vehicles" driving without their lights on. However, after the release of the final segment of the paramedic's video showing the convoy using emergency lights, Israel admitted that its initial account was "mistaken."

The bodies of the eight Red Crescent paramedics, six Civil Defence responders, and one UN staff member were recovered a week later from a shallow grave, after the UN secured safe passage to the area.

The 18-minute video, filmed by paramedic Rifaat Radwan, shows the convoy of emergency vehicles clearly using flashing lights. Gunfire erupts as the convoy pulls over, and Radwan is heard reciting his last prayers before Israeli soldiers’ voices are heard approaching.

On Wednesday, the Red Crescent stated that the video clearly showed that the incident was not a random occurrence or a mistake but a series of intentional attacks.

The first attack was on an ambulance en route to evacuate casualties after a bombing in the al-Hashashin area. This was followed by a direct assault on the Red Crescent and Civil Defence ambulance convoy, despite the team following all safety protocols. A fourth ambulance, on its way to assist the others, was also targeted.

The Red Crescent emphasized that the area had not been designated a "red zone" by the Israeli military, meaning no prior coordination was required to access the site. Additionally, the video revealed that no Israeli military vehicles were visible in the area at the time.

Preliminary forensic reports indicated that the medics were killed by multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body, further suggesting the killings were deliberate.

During a press conference in the occupied West Bank on Monday, the society’s president, Dr. Younes al-Khatib, called for an independent international investigation into the incident and for those responsible to be held accountable.

"We’ll pursue this issue until the end. For us, these 15 men represent all those who were killed for the sake of saving lives, for the sake of humanity," he said, expressing hope that justice could be achieved through their deaths.

Khatib rejected the Israeli military's investigation, stating that the society did not trust it to provide the full truth due to "previous experience." He also dismissed the military’s claim that Hamas operatives were among those killed, emphasizing that the Red Crescent had never been proven to use or carry weapons in over 50 years of operations.

In response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that the findings of the initial inquiry had been presented to its Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who instructed that the investigation be pursued more thoroughly. The IDF said all claims regarding the incident would be examined in detail to decide how to proceed.

This incident comes amid an ongoing military campaign by Israel to dismantle Hamas following a large-scale attack on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Since then, more than 50,750 people have died in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.