JERUSALEM, April 6 – The Israeli military has issued revised details regarding the deaths of 15 emergency responders near the southern Gaza city of Rafah, an incident that drew widespread condemnation and demands for accountability. The military now concedes its initial explanation was flawed and confirms that investigations are ongoing to determine the full scope of what happened on March 23.
The 15 victims paramedics, firefighters, and U.N. affiliated responders were shot and killed during what was described by Israeli forces as a security operation. Their bodies were discovered a week later in a shallow grave, accompanied by visibly damaged emergency vehicles. One emergency worker remains unaccounted for.
Initially, the Israeli military stated that soldiers had fired on a convoy of vehicles approaching their position without lights or markings, suspecting the occupants were militants. They claimed to have neutralized nine individuals allegedly linked to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, reportedly traveling in vehicles bearing the insignia of the Palestinian Red Crescent.
However, newly surfaced mobile footage from one of the deceased reviewed by multiple aid organizations tells a different story. The video shows fully marked ambulances and fire trucks with lights flashing. Uniformed paramedics are visible, clearly engaged in emergency response activities when the gunfire begins. According to the only known survivor, paramedic Munther Abed, Israeli soldiers fired on them without provocation.
Revised Timeline and Military Response
On Saturday night, a senior Israeli military official acknowledged that the initial field report was mistaken. The investigators now believe the troops may have misidentified the emergency vehicles due to flawed operational information or human error. “Our current understanding is that the individual who first reported the incident was incorrect. We’re trying to understand why,” the official stated, adding that findings would be shared with army leadership the following day.
Despite growing scrutiny, Israeli authorities have continued to assert that some of the deceased had ties to militant groups. Six of the 15 individuals have been identified as members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad, according to Israeli media briefed by the military. However, officials have yet to present clear evidence supporting these claims and have withheld further detail, citing classified intelligence.
This opacity has only fueled calls for transparency, with both the United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent demanding an impartial, international investigation into the killings. Humanitarian groups argue that the emergency workers were targeted in a manner that contravenes international law.
Officials from the U.N. and the Red Crescent have stated that the response team comprising 17 members in total was dispatched to the scene following Israeli airstrikes in the vicinity. They assert that the emergency crews were killed in separate incidents over several hours while trying to locate their missing colleagues. Apart from Abed, another responder remains missing.
Conflicting Claims and Unanswered Questions
The military official further elaborated that the situation began around 4 a.m. when troops opened fire on a vehicle, killing two individuals described as members of Hamas’ internal security division. One person was reportedly captured alive and later confessed to being affiliated with the group.
Approximately two hours later, aerial surveillance reportedly flagged a group of approaching vehicles as “suspicious.” Believing they were facing a continuation of the earlier encounter, troops opened fire from a distance. The official rejected allegations that soldiers executed paramedics at close range or mistreated the victims.
“There was no close-quarter shooting. The fire was directed from afar,” he said. “There was never any attempt to conceal the events that took place. We informed the U.N. of the incident on the same day.”
After the shooting, the soldiers initially covered the bodies with camouflage netting. Later, when no one came to retrieve the remains, they were reportedly covered with sand “to prevent animals from disturbing the site.” Yet the process of pushing the damaged vehicles aside using heavy machinery—and ultimately crushing and burying them—remains controversial. The official did not offer a clear explanation for why the vehicles, which included marked ambulances, a fire truck, and a U.N. car, were destroyed in such a manner.
The United Nations confirmed last week that it had been informed of the location of the bodies but said access was delayed for several days. When they were finally able to reach the area, the emergency workers’ remains were found interred with their vehicles.
This evolving account has sparked international criticism and intensified demands for accountability. While the Israeli military insists the presence of suspected militants justified the use of force, humanitarian organizations argue that the actions constitute a grave breach of the protections afforded to medical and emergency personnel under international humanitarian law.
As the investigation continues, pressure mounts for a comprehensive and transparent review of the incident, which has become emblematic of the broader human toll of the ongoing conflict.