The Israeli military has acknowledged discrepancies in their initial statements regarding the killing of 15 people in southern Gaza last month, who the United Nations identified as all paramedics and rescue workers. This admission follows the emergence of a video which contradicts the military’s previous claims that they fired on the vehicles due to their “suspicious advancement.” The video, instead, shows ambulances and a fire truck with clearly marked emergency lights.

The military has stated that the initial reports from the ground were “mistaken,” a departure from their usual practice where internal inquiries into questionable lethal events can take months or even years. This quicker response came amidst international scrutiny and condemnation.

As of now, the military maintains that at least six of the 15 individuals killed were Hamas operatives, though they have yet to provide evidence. Before the incident with the emergency vehicles, reserve forces from an infantry brigade had been positioned in ambush along a road north of the Gazan city of Rafah, where they killed what they described as two Hamas security personnel and detained a third.

Two hours later, as dawn was breaking, the emergency convoy approached the same area. The Israeli forces, believing the rescue workers to be Hamas operatives heading towards them, opened fire from a distance. This raises questions about the soldiers’ conduct and the version of events they reported.

Contrary to some reports, the military denies that the bodies were found bound and shot at close range, claiming instead that the troops buried the bodies to protect them from wildlife and moved the disabled vehicles off the road using heavy machinery.

Aid groups, including the Palestine Red Crescent Society, have also provided their accounts. They stated that ambulances set out around 3:30 a.m. on March 23 to evacuate civilians wounded by Israeli shelling. An ambulance and its crew were hit by Israeli forces, leading to more ambulances and a fire truck heading to the scene to provide rescue assistance. Additionally, a U.N. vehicle was also dispatched.

It took days for access to be negotiated to retrieve the 15 bodies. The Palestine Red Crescent Society condemned Israel’s “targeting” of its medics as a potential war crime, noting that this brought the total number of its members killed during the conflict, which began on October 7, 2023, to 27.

The case has received significant coverage in Israel since the video’s exposure, with politicians mostly remaining silent and awaiting the outcome of the military inquiry. This incident is seen as a test for the recently appointed military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, reflecting on the military’s international standing and the broader issue of accountability.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/06/world/middleeast/gaza-aid-workers-killed-israel.html