Daijiworld Media Network – Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv, Apr 6: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have admitted that serious mistakes were made during a deadly strike in southern Gaza that killed 15 emergency workers, including paramedics and civil defence personnel, on March 23 near Rafah.
The convoy, comprising Palestinian Red Crescent Society ambulances, a UN vehicle, and a fire truck, was reportedly responding to a humanitarian call when it came under fire. Israel initially stated that the vehicles approached in a “suspicious manner” without lights and prior coordination, but newly emerged mobile footage reveals that the convoy had its lights on and was clearly marked.
The video, recovered from the mobile phone of slain paramedic Refat Radwan, was shared by the New York Times. It shows the vehicles halting on the road before being ambushed with gunfire, with no visible provocation. Radwan, who was recording the situation, is heard reciting prayers in his final moments, just before Israeli soldiers are heard approaching.
An IDF official briefing journalists on Saturday confirmed that while the emergency workers were unarmed, they were mistakenly targeted after soldiers had earlier fired upon a separate vehicle suspected to carry Hamas members. The ambulances, which later arrived at the scene, were then wrongly assumed to pose a threat.
Though the IDF continues to allege that six of the victims had ties with Hamas, no evidence has been presented to support the claim. The official also admitted that the earlier statement about the vehicles not using lights was inaccurate, attributing it to initial field reports.
In a controversial move, soldiers reportedly buried the bodies of the deceased emergency personnel in sand to “protect them from wild animals” and to clear the road. Their remains were discovered a week later by international aid agencies who located the scene using Radwan’s phone.
The PRCS, UN agencies, and other humanitarian organisations are now calling for an independent investigation, accusing the Israeli forces of grave violations of international humanitarian law.
The incident comes as Israel continues its renewed offensive in Gaza, which began on March 18 after the failure of ceasefire negotiations. According to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, over 1,200 Palestinians have been killed since then, pushing the total death toll in Gaza to over 50,600 since October 2023.
The conflict was reignited following a deadly Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 hostages taken, prompting Israel to launch a full-scale military campaign to dismantle Hamas.