Attacks
On 23 March 2025, the IDF fired on five ambulances and a fire truck "one by one." [4] [7] The humanitarian vehicles were "crushed and dumped, covered in sand" in an apparent attempt to cover up the killings, [8] while the aid workers, wearing uniforms, were left missing in a mass grave for eight days. [3] The ambulances were initially dispatched to the Al-Hashashin area in response to casualties caused by Israeli attacks on the area, before being surrounded by Israeli troops and losing contact with dispatchers. The paramedics that went to search for them were killed and wounded. [9] [10] Israel said the vehicles were "advancing suspiciously" without headlights or emergency signals. It claimed that the vehicles were being used as cover by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. It alleged that among those killed were a Hamas operative and "eight other terrorists," without providing evidence. [4] [7]
According to forensic analyst Ahmad Dhaher who examined five of the bodies, the aid workers were killed at close-range in execution-style killings, with "specific and intentional" bullet wounds in heads and hearts. [11] Relatives of the victims described various signs of abuse. One relative noted marks on a victim's wrists from restraint and broken fingers, while another mentioned multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and wrist. Two witnesses also reported that some victims had their hands or feet bound. [12]
A video recording discovered on a cellphone of one of the medics contradicts Israel's narrative of the incident, showing the ambulances and fire truck clearly marked with their emergency lights on as Israeli troops hit them with a barrage of gunfire, killing all the medics. In the video, a paramedic recited the Shahada, and added, "Forgive me, Mom, forgive me. I swear I only chose this path to help others." The paramedic was later found in the mass grave with a bullet in his head. The New York Times analyzed satellite imagery that showed Israeli forces bulldozing the site after the attack. [13] [14] Following the release of the video recording, Israel changed its account of the incident, admitting that its soldiers have "made mistakes." [15]
The massacre was carried out by soldiers from the Golani Brigade. At the moment of the killings, they were acting under the command of Brig Gen Yehuda Vach, who has a history of establishing "kill zones" in Gaza where civilians are killed and of telling his subordinates that "there are no innocents in Gaza." [16] Also present at the site were field operatives from Unit 504, a military intelligence unit with a reputation for cruelty and acts of torture. [16]
Survivors' accounts
Two Palestinian first responders survived the attack on the emergency vehicle convoy. [17]
Munther Abed
Munther Abed, a 27-year-old volunteer with the Red Crescent since he was 18, was in the first ambulance to arrive at the scene of an airstrike in Rafah's Hashashin district when it came under Israeli gunfire. Abed survived by throwing himself to the floor, while his two colleagues in the front were killed. [1]
After being captured by Israeli soldiers, Abed described his treatment: "I was completely stripped, left only in my underwear, and my hands were bound behind my back," he recalled. "They threw me to the ground, and the interrogation began. I endured severe torture, including beatings, insults, threats of death, and suffocation when one soldier pressed a rifle against my neck. Another soldier held a dagger to my left shoulder." During his detention, he witnessed other rescue vehicles, including ambulances and fire trucks, being ambushed by Israeli forces. He also saw a bulldozer and excavator arrive to dig a pit where the vehicles and bodies were buried. Abed stated that a Red Crescent ambulance officer, Assad al-Nassara, who remains missing, was alive in Israeli detention near the scene of the killings. [1] [12]
Abed stated that the ambulance was marked with lights on and the Red Crescent logo visible as they headed to the site. [18] While the IDF described the area as a war zone, Abed asserted that Hashashin was a civilian area where daily life was ongoing, not a designated combat zone. [1] He also rejected Israel's claim that Hamas had used ambulances, calling it "utterly untrue" and reaffirming that all the crews involved were civilians. [18]
Abed was forced to help Israeli soldiers in the vetting and photographing of local residents, who were ordered to leave the area and move to al-Mawasi. He was released in the evening and given back his watch and underwear but not his identity card, paramedic uniform, or shoes. Abed was instructed to walk toward al-Mawasi and was eventually able to flag down a passing Red Crescent vehicle for assistance. [1]
Assad Al-Nassasrah
Assad Al-Nassasrah, a Red Crescent paramedic, was the driver of one of two ambulances. A passenger in Al-Nassasrah' ambulance recorded the video of the Israeli attack that was later recovered. The convoy sustained heavy Israeli gunfire (which was partially captured on the video) upon arriving at the location. Al-Nassasrah survived the fusillade by taking cover on the ground to the rear of his vehicle, beneath the corpse of his slain colleague who embraced him as he was dying. [17]
After the Israeli soldiers ceased fire, they approached the convoy. Al-Nassasrah heard injured colleagues calling out for help before the Israeli troops began shooting the survivors at close range. [17]
When the soldiers belatedly noticed Al-Nassasrah to be alive, one of them aimed a rifle at his head, whereupon Al-Nassasrah exclaimed "Don't shoot. I am Israeli." in Hebrew, saying that his mother is a Palestinian citizen of Israel. Al-Nassasrah was then stripped, blindfolded and thrown into a ditch, believing he was about to be killed. Abed, the other survivor, saw the soldiers detaining Al-Nassasrah. [17]
Al-Nassasrah spent 37 days in Israeli detention where he sustained beatings, sound torture, psychological torture and humiliating treatment, solitary confinement, restraining, and food deprivation. Israeli authorities refused to release information regarding Al-Nassasrah's whereabouts for over two weeks. He was eventually released on 29 April amid international pressure following news of his survival. The IDF told the media that Al-Nassasrah was lawfully detained and interrogated because he was suspected of involvement in terrorist activity. [17]
Casualties
According to the UN, the killed Palestinian medics were buried by Israeli troops in unmarked graves. [10] The autopsy results of the 15 bodies analyzed indicate that they were shot in the upper part of the body, indicating intent to kill. [19] Four men had been shot in the head, and at least six men were shot in the chest or back. [20]
The IFRC identified its killed workers as ambulance officers Mostafa Khufaga, Saleh Muamer, and Ezzedine Shaath, and first responder volunteers Mohammad Bahloul, Mohammed al-Heila, Ashraf Abu Labda, Raed al-Sharif, and Rifatt Radwan. [3] None of the names reported to have been recovered from the mass grave match the names of "terrorists" the IDF claimed to have eliminated, and one recovered body had his hands bound. [7]
Investigation
From 23 March to 30 March, a "complex, week-long rescue operation" took place involving bulldozers and heavy machinery to search for the buried bodies left under the sand and debris, while emergency responders used shovels to dig through the dirt. The rescue operation was complicated by the IDF's refusal to cooperate with the Red Crescent, OCHA, and the UN, denying them entry. On 27 March, the body of a civil defense worker was recovered, and fourteen more were recovered on 30 March. One medic belonging to the PRCS remained missing [3] [4] until it was confirmed on 13 April that he was being held by Israeli authorities. [21]
Following the release of the video recording, Israel changed its account of the incident, admitting that its soldiers have "made mistakes." [15] Analysts have noted that Israel has a history of giving inaccurate explanations to account for its killings of civilians and of changing its version of events when evidence emerges that refutes its initial explanation. [22] IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir ordered an internal investigation into the incident by the unit responsible for handling suspected war crimes.
According to the Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din, the system established by the IDF's general staff to investigate potential war crimes is primarily designed to shield the military from accountability while maintaining the appearance of due process. An analysis of Israeli military campaigns over the past decade revealed that at least 664 complaints were submitted for review, yet more than 80% were closed without even launching a criminal investigation. The organization concluded that the military's law enforcement system seldom pursues charges against low-ranking soldiers and almost entirely avoids investigating senior commanders. [22]
Autopsies were conducted by a Gazan doctor on all paramedics killed in the attack except an UN aid worker. [23] The post-mortem report, reviewed by a Norwegian pathologist, found these paramedics were killed by gunfires either to their chests, abdomens or backs or to the head. [23] [24] Most of them were shot several times. [23]
Israeli military released the investigation report on 20 April 2025, which found the killings were caused by "several professional failures, breaches of orders, and a failure to fully report the incident." [25] As a consequence, the IDF’s Golani Brigade deputy commander will be removed from his role due to his actions in the field and for delivering a report that lacked accuracy and completeness during the inquiry. [25] Another commander involved in the operation in Rafah, where the deaths occurred, will face disciplinary action for his overall responsibility in the incident, according to the military. [25] While acknowledging errors, the report does not call for criminal charges against the military units involved and concludes that the IDF’s code of ethics was not breached. [25] United Nations humanitarian agency in Gaza, Palestine Red Crescent and Gazan civil defense denounced the investigation report; [26] the Palestine Red Crescent said that the report was "full of lies." [25]
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