Israeli investigation into killings of Palestinian medics in Gaza cites “professional failures”

An Israeli military investigation has revealed “professional failures” in the killing of 15 Palestinian medics in Gaza last month. The tragic incident occurred on 23 March when Israeli forces, conducting operations in the Tel al-Sultan district of Rafah, opened fire on ambulances and rescue vehicles. Eight Red Crescent personnel, six Civil Defence workers, and a UN staffer were killed in the shooting, which the investigation described as an “operational misunderstanding.”

The investigation found that the deputy battalion commander misidentified the ambulances as belonging to Hamas militants, attributing the mistake to poor night visibility. This mistake led to the initial shots being fired, followed by further shooting from other soldiers. The findings also indicated that a separate incident occurred shortly after, where Israeli soldiers shot at a Palestinian UN vehicle, breaching orders.

Israel initially claimed that the ambulances did not have emergency signals when the shooting began, but this was contradicted by cellphone video footage recovered from one of the medics. The footage showed that the ambulances had flashing lights and logos, and that the medics appeared to be acting in a non-threatening manner as they approached an earlier target. The video further showed the medics coming under a barrage of gunfire that lasted for over five minutes.

The Israeli military’s investigation into the killings led to the conclusion that the deputy commander involved would be dismissed. While it was confirmed that the soldiers’ actions were mistaken, the military did not find evidence to support allegations of execution-style killings, as claimed by Palestinian officials. The bodies of the medics, along with their damaged vehicles, were later bulldozed and buried in a mass grave. The Israeli military stated that this was done to clear the area for future military operations, though Palestinian officials argued this was a deliberate act to cover up the killings.

According to Maj. Gen. Yoav Har-Even, the investigation found that the decision to crush the ambulances was wrong, but there was no effort to conceal the incident. The bodies of the victims were only recovered a week later after directions from the Israeli military, a delay that caused further outrage. Despite the investigation’s findings, which noted that some of the deceased were misidentified as Hamas militants, the broader international community remains critical of Israel’s actions.

The investigation also noted that Israel regretted the harm caused to innocent civilians, though the military insisted that it had not intended to target medics. The one survivor of the attack remains in Israeli custody for further questioning.

This is not the first time Israel has faced accusations of targeting emergency responders during its operations in Gaza. The UN has documented over 150 emergency workers from the Red Crescent and Civil Defence who have been killed by Israeli strikes, many of them while on duty. Human rights groups have repeatedly accused Israel of failing to properly investigate such incidents and of downplaying misconduct within its ranks.

The controversy surrounding these killings adds to the growing international criticism of Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has already charged Israeli leaders, including former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with war crimes. While Israel has dismissed the ICC’s accusations, insisting its own legal system is capable of investigating the army’s actions, the ongoing debates over the use of military force in Gaza continue to draw global scrutiny.