On March 23, a group of ambulances was attacked in Rafah, resulting in the deaths of 15 emergency workers. Eyewitnesses recounted their harrowing experiences of the incident, providing insights into the confrontation and the subsequent accusations against Israeli military actions.
Eyewitness Accounts of Israeli Attack on Gaza Medics: The Human Cost
Eyewitness Accounts of Israeli Attack on Gaza Medics: The Human Cost
In a troubling incident in Gaza, eyewitnesses describe a deadly attack on emergency medics by Israeli forces, highlighting the devastating impact on humanitarian operations.
On the morning of March 23, as dawn approached, a convoy of ambulances and a fire truck from Palestinian emergency services came to a halt in Rafah, south of Gaza. They were searching for their fellow paramedics who had gone missing after being dispatched on a rescue mission. The remnants of the vanished ambulance were located beside some U.N. warehouses, yet as the paramedics disembarked to investigate, Israeli soldiers stationed about 50 meters away opened fire.
Munther Abed, a volunteer paramedic who had survived an earlier attack that killed two of his colleagues, recalled the chaos as he found himself detained by Israeli troops. Alongside him was Dr. Saeed al-Bardawil, a 55-year-old physician who had been stopped on his way to fishing with his son. Both men witnessed the deadly shooting, claiming that they were forced to observe the assault on the first responders.
Their accounts surfaced as the United Nations reported discovering 15 dead rescue workers in a mass grave, including members from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, Gaza’s Civil Defense, and one United Nations staff member. The bodies, along with destroyed ambulances and rescue vehicles, were found partially buried near the incident site. The U.N. has accused Israeli forces of killing these workers and discarding their bodies without proper acknowledgment.
Although the testimonies provided by Abed and al-Bardawil have not been independently verified, they align with a video obtained by The New York Times, showing extensive gunfire directed at the convoy during the dawn hours. The conflicting narratives surrounding this tragic event underscore the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region, raising significant questions regarding the safety of paramedics and medical personnel engaged in rescue operations amidst the ongoing violence.
Munther Abed, a volunteer paramedic who had survived an earlier attack that killed two of his colleagues, recalled the chaos as he found himself detained by Israeli troops. Alongside him was Dr. Saeed al-Bardawil, a 55-year-old physician who had been stopped on his way to fishing with his son. Both men witnessed the deadly shooting, claiming that they were forced to observe the assault on the first responders.
Their accounts surfaced as the United Nations reported discovering 15 dead rescue workers in a mass grave, including members from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, Gaza’s Civil Defense, and one United Nations staff member. The bodies, along with destroyed ambulances and rescue vehicles, were found partially buried near the incident site. The U.N. has accused Israeli forces of killing these workers and discarding their bodies without proper acknowledgment.
Although the testimonies provided by Abed and al-Bardawil have not been independently verified, they align with a video obtained by The New York Times, showing extensive gunfire directed at the convoy during the dawn hours. The conflicting narratives surrounding this tragic event underscore the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region, raising significant questions regarding the safety of paramedics and medical personnel engaged in rescue operations amidst the ongoing violence.
