Israel’s army has admitted its soldiers made mistakes over the killing of 15 emergency workers in southern Gaza on 23 March – but says some of them were linked to Hamas.
The convoy of Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulances, a UN car and a fire truck from Gaza’s Civil Defence came under fire near Rafah.
Israel originally claimed troops opened fire because the convoy approached “suspiciously” in darkness without headlights or flashing lights. Movement of the vehicles had not been previously co-ordinated or agreed with the army.
Mobile phone footage, filmed by one of the paramedics who was killed, showed the vehicles did have lights on as they answered a call to help wounded people.
The video, originally shared by the New York Times, shows the vehicles pulling up on the road when, without warning, shooting begins just before dawn.
The footage continues for more than five minutes, with the paramedic, named as Refat Radwan, heard saying his last prayers before the voices of Israeli soldiers are heard approaching the vehicles.
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official briefed journalists on Saturday evening, saying the soldiers had earlier fired on a car containing three Hamas members.
When the ambulances responded and approached the area, aerial surveillance monitors informed the soldiers on the ground of the convoy “advancing suspiciously”.
When the ambulances stopped beside the Hamas car, the soldiers assumed they were under threat and opened fire, despite no evidence any of the emergency team was armed.
Israel has admitted its earlier account claiming the vehicles approached without lights was inaccurate, attributing the report to the troops involved.
The video footage shows the vehicles were clearly marked and the paramedics wore reflective hi-vis uniform.
The soldiers buried the bodies of the 15 dead workers in sand to protect them from wild animals, the official said, claiming the vehicles were moved and buried the following day to clear the road.
They were not uncovered until a week after the incident because international agencies, including the UN, could not organise safe passage to the area or locate the spot.
When an aid team found the bodies they also discovered Refat Radwan’s mobile phone containing footage of the incident.
The IDF insists at least six of the medics were linked to Hamas – but has so far provided no evidence. It admits they were unarmed when the soldiers opened fire.
The military official denied any of the medics were handcuffed before they died and said they were not executed at close range, as some reports had suggested.
Earlier this week, a surviving paramedic told the BBC the ambulances had their lights on and denied his colleagues were linked with any militant group.
The IDF promised a “thorough examination” of the incident, saying it would “understand the sequence of events and the handling of the situation”.
The Red Crescent and many other international organisations are calling for an independent investigation.
