Allegations of summary executions in Gaza after rescue workers killed

The Palestinian Civil Defense has accused the Israeli military of carrying out "summary executions" during a March shooting incident in the Gaza Strip that resulted in the deaths of 15 rescue workers. This statement directly challenges the findings of an internal Israeli military investigation released the day before.

Mohammed Al-Moughair, a senior official in Gaza’s Civil Defense, told AFP that video footage recorded by one of the paramedics disproves Israel’s version of events and reveals that deliberate executions took place. He also criticized Israel for allegedly trying to evade its obligations under international law.

The incident occurred on March 23, shortly after Israel resumed military operations in Gaza. Israeli forces opened fire on emergency teams from the Civil Defense and the Palestinian Red Crescent in Rafah, southern Gaza.

Israel claimed that six Hamas operatives were inside the ambulances targeted during the attack. However, its internal investigation found issues such as "professional misconduct," "disobedience," and "miscommunication" among the troops involved.

Although an officer was dismissed following the review, the military denied that the soldiers fired indiscriminately or committed any executions, stating there was no evidence supporting such claims.

The casualties included eight members of the Palestinian Red Crescent, six from Gaza's Civil Defense, and one staff member from UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. Their bodies were discovered days later, buried in the sand in what the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs described as a "mass grave."

The Palestinian Red Crescent has rejected the Israeli investigation’s findings. Its spokesperson, Nebal Farsakh, condemned the report as filled with falsehoods, claiming it serves only to justify the killings and wrongly places the blame on an isolated leadership error.

The killings sparked international outrage, with UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk suggesting that the act might amount to a war crime.