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Wednesday, Apr 09, 2025
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Conflicting Accounts Emerge Over Israeli Attack on Gaza Medics
Newly surfaced footage raises questions about the Israeli military's claims regarding the deaths of 15 Palestinian paramedics.
Mobile phone footage of the last moments of some of the 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers killed by Israeli forces during an incident in Gaza last month appears to contradict the version of events provided by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The nearly seven-minute video, recovered from the phone of Rifat Radwan, one of the deceased, reportedly shows footage filmed from within a moving vehicle.
It depicts a red fire engine and ambulances with emergency lights activated, traveling at night.
The vehicle subsequently stops next to another that had veered off the road.
Two men exit to inspect the stopped vehicle before gunfire erupts, leading to the end of the video.
The Israeli military has stated that its soldiers did not conduct a random attack on ambulances, asserting that they fired upon "terrorists" approaching in "suspicious vehicles." Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, a military spokesperson, indicated that troops opened fire on vehicles that were not cleared for entry and that were operating with their lights turned off.
As of Saturday, the IDF confirmed that the incident remains under investigation and that all claims, including the recently released footage, would undergo thorough examination to establish a full understanding of the events.
Additionally, an anonymous Israeli military official cited by Reuters acknowledged that the initial report regarding the vehicles lacking emergency lights was incorrect.
On March 23 in Rafah, the incident resulted in the deaths of 15 Palestinian medics and rescue workers, among them at least one employee of the United Nations, as reported by the UN, which claimed that Israeli forces shot individuals systematically and subsequently buried them in a mass grave.
The UN humanitarian affairs office indicated that the paramedics and civil defense workers were attempting to rescue colleagues injured earlier that day when their clearly marked vehicles came under extensive Israeli gunfire in the Tel al-Sultan district of Rafah.
A Red Crescent official noted that there were findings indicating at least one victim was detained and killed, with one body discovered bound at the wrists.
The shootings occurred on the first day of renewed Israeli military operations in the area adjacent to the Egyptian border, following the collapse of a two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
One additional Red Crescent worker who was part of the same mission remains unaccounted for.
The nearly seven-minute video, recovered from the phone of Rifat Radwan, one of the deceased, reportedly shows footage filmed from within a moving vehicle.
It depicts a red fire engine and ambulances with emergency lights activated, traveling at night.
The vehicle subsequently stops next to another that had veered off the road.
Two men exit to inspect the stopped vehicle before gunfire erupts, leading to the end of the video.
The Israeli military has stated that its soldiers did not conduct a random attack on ambulances, asserting that they fired upon "terrorists" approaching in "suspicious vehicles." Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, a military spokesperson, indicated that troops opened fire on vehicles that were not cleared for entry and that were operating with their lights turned off.
As of Saturday, the IDF confirmed that the incident remains under investigation and that all claims, including the recently released footage, would undergo thorough examination to establish a full understanding of the events.
Additionally, an anonymous Israeli military official cited by Reuters acknowledged that the initial report regarding the vehicles lacking emergency lights was incorrect.
On March 23 in Rafah, the incident resulted in the deaths of 15 Palestinian medics and rescue workers, among them at least one employee of the United Nations, as reported by the UN, which claimed that Israeli forces shot individuals systematically and subsequently buried them in a mass grave.
The UN humanitarian affairs office indicated that the paramedics and civil defense workers were attempting to rescue colleagues injured earlier that day when their clearly marked vehicles came under extensive Israeli gunfire in the Tel al-Sultan district of Rafah.
A Red Crescent official noted that there were findings indicating at least one victim was detained and killed, with one body discovered bound at the wrists.
The shootings occurred on the first day of renewed Israeli military operations in the area adjacent to the Egyptian border, following the collapse of a two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
One additional Red Crescent worker who was part of the same mission remains unaccounted for.
