The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) expresses outrage over the deaths of eight medics killed while on duty in Rafah, southern Gaza.
A nine-person ambulance team was targeted by heavy fire in al-Hashashin on 23 March, with their bodies recovered on Sunday after a week-long denial of access to the area. One medic remains missing.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that the bodies of their staff were found alongside six members of Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency and one UN employee.
The identity of those responsible for the fire remains unconfirmed, though Hamas has accused the Israel Defense Forces. The BBC has reached out for comments from the IDF.
According to a statement from the IFRC on Sunday, the recovery of the eight PRCS workers’ bodies occurred “after seven days of silence with denied access to the Rafah region where they last operated”.
Those killed were identified as ambulance officers Mostafa Khufaga, Saleh Muamer, and Ezzedine Shaath, along with first responder volunteers Mohammad Bahloul, Mohammed al-Heila, Ashraf Abu Labda, Raed al-Sharif, and Rifatt Radwan. Ambulance officer Assad Al-Nassasra is still missing.
IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain expressed deep sorrow over the incident, emphasizing that these “dedicated ambulance workers were tending to the wounded” and urging respect for International Humanitarian Law which mandates the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers. You can read more about these incidents here.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have not made any public statements regarding the IFRC and Red Crescent Society’s report.
AFP news agency reported that the Israeli military confirmed on Saturday that they had fired on ambulances in southern Gaza on the previous Sunday, considering them “suspicious vehicles”.
The Israeli military maintained that their actions were against Hamas vehicles, stating they had neutralized several Hamas terrorists.Senior Hamas official Basem Naim condemned the attack, calling it a violation of the Geneva Conventions and a war crime. Since resuming its military actions in Gaza on 18 March, following the breakdown of a ceasefire, Israeli strikes have killed over 900 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The conflict was initiated when Hamas attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the capture of 251 individuals bringing them to Gaza. The IDF’s response has reportedly claimed more than 50,000 Palestinian lives, per Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
