Red Crescent Demands Inquiry into Deaths of Gaza Paramedics Amid Controversy

The Palestine Red Crescent Society has called for an international inquiry into the deaths of 15 emergency workers killed in Gaza, asserting that their deaths resulted from deliberate actions by Israeli troops. The Israeli military initially claimed the medics posed a threat but later admitted to inaccuracies in their narrative. Controversy surrounds the incident as both sides present conflicting accounts of the events.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has publicly requested an independent international inquiry into the incident that led to the deaths of 15 paramedics in southern Gaza on March 23. The organization released a video, reportedly filmed by one of the deceased medics, asserting that the attack on their ambulance convoy represented a deliberate act that qualifies as a "war crime." They have called for accountability for those responsible.

The Israeli military, meanwhile, reported that troops opened fire after perceiving a threat, asserting that some of the deceased were members of Hamas. However, the Red Crescent disputes this claim, noting that a surviving paramedic denied any association with armed groups. The military had originally stated that its forces fired upon "suspicious vehicles" operating without lights, but subsequently conceded that their initial report was erroneous after evidence from the paramedic’s video showed the convoy used emergency lights during the incident.

In the days that followed, the bodies of the eight Red Crescent paramedics, alongside six Civil Defence responders and a UN staff member, were recovered from a shallow grave following the UN’s request for safe passage to the area. The aforementioned video, lasting 18 minutes, features paramedic Rifaat Radwan conversing with a colleague moments before the gunfire erupted. The footage portrays a sequence of events highlighting a fire engine and additional ambulances overtaking their vehicle, with active emergency lights, moments before the shooting commences.

The Red Crescent asserts that this occurrence was not due to random chance or an isolated error, but rather a series of intentional assaults on medical personnel. They emphasize that the area had not been designated as a "red zone" by Israeli forces, and thus access should not have been restricted. Forensic evidence reportedly indicates that the medics were shot multiple times in the upper body, which the Red Crescent argues signals intent to kill.

At a press conference held in the West Bank, PRCS President Dr. Younes al-Khatib insisted on the need for a thorough investigation by an independent body, dismissing the Israeli military's inquiry as lacking credibility based on past experiences. Dr. al-Khatib emphasized the significance of justice for these 15 men, stating, "They represent all those who were killed for the sake of saving lives, for the sake of humanity."

The Israeli Defense Forces responded by stating that their Chief of Staff ordered a deeper investigation into the events surrounding the incident and affirmed that all claims will be thoroughly examined. This incident occurs against the backdrop of Israel's military operations in Gaza following a gripping escalation of conflict since October 7, 2023, which has seen immense casualties in the region, according to Hamas-controlled health authorities.