The Israeli army (IDF) has admitted that its soldiers made “mistakes” during the March 23 attack on an ambulance convoy near Rafah that killed 15 members of the emergency services.
The convoy, which consisted of Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS) ambulances, a UN vehicle and a Gaza Civil Protection fire truck, was attacked when it went to help the wounded.
Initially, the Israeli army claimed that the vehicles approached “suspiciously”, without lights, in night conditions, and that there was no advance notice.
However, a cellphone video recorded by emergency worker Refat Radvan before he was killed shows that the vehicles had their lights on and were clearly marked, and the medics were wearing reflective uniforms.
The IDF later admitted that the report of the lights being off was incorrect, and that the information came from the soldiers themselves on the ground.
Although the Israeli military claims that the six rescue workers killed were affiliated with Hamas, it has so far not provided any evidence to support that claim. They have acknowledged that all of them were unarmed at the time of the attack.
An IDF official said that soldiers had previously shot at a vehicle carrying three Hamas members. When the convoy reached the area, the soldiers, reportedly alerted by aerial surveillance, believed there was a threat and opened fire. There is no evidence that anyone in the convoy posed a threat.
A video released by the New York Times shows the moment the convoy pulls onto the road and then, without warning, the shooting begins. The video lasts more than five minutes and Radwan can be heard saying his final prayers before Israeli soldiers can be heard approaching the vehicles.
Officials confirmed that the bodies of the rescuers were buried in sand to protect them from wild animals. The vehicles and bodies were moved the day after the incident to clear the road, and were not found until seven days later due to the inability of international organizations to reach the scene safely.
A surviving rescuer told the BBC that the ambulances had their lights on and strongly denied any connection between his colleagues and the militants.
The Israeli military announced a “thorough investigation” to determine the circumstances and the actions of the soldiers on the ground. International organizations, including the UN and the Red Crescent, are demanding an independent investigation into the incident.
The attack occurred during the continuation of the Israeli offensive on Gaza, which was renewed on March 18 after the ceasefire was broken. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 1,200 people have been killed since then.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Since then, according to the Gaza authorities, more than 50,600 people have died.
Photo: BBC
