'Clearly Marked Ambulances': Israel Revises Account of 15 Paramedic Deaths in Gaza Following Release of Video Evidence

JERUSALEM, April 6 — The Israeli military has revised its initial account regarding the deaths of 15 emergency responders near Rafah in southern Gaza last month, following the release of video evidence, while stating that the incident remains under investigation.

The 15 paramedics and emergency workers were killed on March 23 and later discovered buried in a shallow grave by UN officials and the Palestinian Red Crescent. One individual is still unaccounted for.

Initially, the Israeli military claimed soldiers fired on unmarked vehicles that approached their position suspiciously at night, alleging that nine militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad were inside Palestinian Red Crescent vehicles.

However, a video recovered from a deceased worker’s phone and released by the Palestinian Red Crescent appeared to contradict this claim. The footage showed paramedics in uniform operating clearly marked ambulances and fire trucks, with lights on, under direct fire from soldiers.

Survivor Munther Abed, a paramedic with the Red Crescent, confirmed that marked emergency vehicles were deliberately targeted.

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A military official said Saturday that investigators are analyzing the video and would present findings to senior army commanders soon. The official acknowledged discrepancies in the initial report, suggesting the account may have been mistaken due to human error.

“The person who gave the initial field report may have been wrong — we’re trying to understand why,” the official said.

While the military told Israeli media that at least six of the 15 deceased were identified as militants, it did not release supporting evidence, citing confidentiality.

“The investigation is still ongoing, but based on our information, there were terrorists among them,” the official added.

Both the UN and the Palestinian Red Crescent have called for an independent investigation into the killings. According to them, 17 emergency personnel from the Red Crescent, Civil Emergency Service, and the UN were dispatched in response to Israeli air strikes. Aside from Abed, who was detained and later released, one worker remains missing.

The UN has reported that initial evidence suggests emergency workers were killed in stages over several hours as they searched for colleagues, not in a single incident.

According to the Israeli military’s account, troops fired on a vehicle around 4am, killing two members of Hamas’s internal security forces and detaining a third, who allegedly confessed to being part of Hamas. Around 6am, after spotting a convoy via aerial surveillance, soldiers again opened fire, mistaking the vehicles for a renewed threat.

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The official denied allegations that paramedics were shot at close range or mistreated, stating that fire was opened from a distance.

“They engaged from afar — there was no close-range shooting or mistreat

He claimed soldiers informed the UN of the incident that same day and initially covered the bodies with camouflage netting. Later, when the bodies remained uncollected, they were buried under sand to prevent animals from disturbing them.

He also confirmed that the vehicles, which included ambulances, a fire truck, and a UN-marked vehicle, were pushed aside by engineering equipment. However, he did not explain why the vehicles were crushed and buried.

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The UN confirmed it had been informed of the site but was denied access for several days. — Reuters