<
div data-component-name=”ui-article-body” data-highlight-intro=”true”>
An account of the events leading to the Israeli attack on aid workers in Gaza on 15 March has been provided for the first time by one of its survivors, Assad al Nsasrah. Eight other paramedics, six firefighters, and a UN employee also lost their lives in the incident and were subsequently buried together in a mass grave by Israeli troops.
Assad al Nsasrah was one of two survivors from the assault. The IDF initially gave varying accounts of the attack until evidence uncovered by <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/two-hours-of-terror-sky-news-investigation-reveals-how-israels-deadly-attack-on-aid-workers-unfolded-13348776" target="_blank">Sky News</a> prompted them to adjust their story multiple times.
<div class="sdc-article-widget sdc-site-video callfn" data-account-id="6058004172001" data-amp-iframe-embed="" data-asset-id="3a94535d-969c-4fd6-aca5-1d7db535595f" data-asset-path="" data-asset-version="" data-autoplay="false" data-auth-config="" data-caption="How two hours of terror unfolded" data-clip-type="" data-component-name="sdc-site-video" data-component-name-alias="ui-sitewide-video" data-competition="" data-copy-url-text="URL copied to clipboard" data-fn="sdc-site-video" data-id="id_3a94535d-969c-4fd6-aca5-1d7db535595f" data-is-live-stream="false" data-lite="true" data-options="" data-originator-id="51" data-originator-handle="brightcove-news-gb" data-package-name="" data-provider="brightcove" data-player-id="yjBoKQ5XA" data-playsinline="" data-sensitive="true" data-sdc-id="6889617" data-sdc-video-id="3a94535d-969c-4fd6-aca5-1d7db535595f" data-sport-category="" data-state="loading" data-token-state="none" data-video-ad-unit="" data-video-blacklisted-originator-ids="" data-video-id="ref:3a94535d-969c-4fd6-aca5-1d7db535595f" data-video-type="" data-auto-pause-on-not-visible="true" tabindex="-1" data-closed-captions-position="middle-third" data-show-closed-captions="true" data-show-pip="true" data-show-live-stream-scrubber="true" data-autoload="false">
<div class="sdc-site-video__inner">
<div class="sdc-site-video__content" data-role="bridge-controller" style="padding-bottom: calc(100% / ());">
<p class="sdc-site-video__accessibility-message" data-role="accessibility-message">Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player</p>
<span aria-hidden="true" data-role="poster" class="sdc-site-video__poster">
<img loading="lazy" src="https://e3.365dm.com/25/04/768x432/skynews-gaza-israel_6889636.jpg?20250418085127" alt="New evidence unearthed by Sky News contradicts Israel's official account of the killing of 15 aid workers." srcset="" aria-hidden="true" class="sdc-site-video__poster-img"/>
<span class="sdc-site-video__loader"/>
<span class="sdc-site-video__time">19:54</span>
</span>
<video id="id_3a94535d-969c-4fd6-aca5-1d7db535595f" data-embed="default" data-application-id="" class="video-js sdc-site-video__tag" controls="" playsinline=""/>
</div>
<figcaption class="sdc-site-video__caption ui-media-caption">
<span class="ui-media-caption__caption-text" data-role="caption-text">How two hours of terror unfolded</span>
</figcaption>
</div>
</div>
Assad remained missing until 13 April, three weeks after the attack, when Israel stated he had been detained. He spent a total of 37 days in custody before being released on 29 April.
In an interview with the Guardian, Assad’s employer, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), has now for the first time revealed key aspects of the medic’s account.
This includes the claim that he was tortured in Israeli custody, and that he heard Israeli troops shooting injured medics at close range as they begged for help.
“He was mistreated, he was subjected to physical attack, tied, beaten, also psychological torture, and starved,” PRCS spokesperson Nibal Farsakh told the Guardian.
”He was also being isolated for three days and put in a room with very loud music, which the Israelis called the disco room.”
The PRCS spokesperson said Assad “described it as like something literally making you feel crazy and that the music was loud to the extent that you feel your nose is bleeding, your ears are bleeding”.
In response to these allegations, an IDF spokesperson told Sky News that Assad was detained “based on intelligence indicating involvement in terrorist activity”.
The spokesperson refused to provide further details on this alleged intelligence.
“During his detention, he was questioned regarding this matter,” the spokesperson said.
How the attack unfolded
On the morning of the attack, Assad had been called out to find three colleagues who had disappeared while on a rescue mission.
He set out just before 5am with fellow paramedic Rifaat Radna – who recorded their journey.
