Israeli killing of medics ‘summary executions’ as army admits failure

TEL AVIV

Mourners gather around the bodies of 8 Red Crescent emergency responders, recovered in Rafah a week after an Israeli attack, as they are transported for burial from a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, March 31, 2025.

Gaza's civil defense agency Monday accused the Israeli military of carrying out "summary executions" in the killing of 15 rescue workers last month, rejecting the findings of an internal probe by the army.

The medics and other rescue workers were killed when responding to distress calls near Gaza's southern city of Rafah early on March 23, days into Israel's renewed offensive in the Hamas-run territory.

"The video filmed by one of the paramedics proves that the Israeli occupation's narrative is false and demonstrates that it carried out summary executions," Mohammed Al-Mughair, a civil defense official, told media, accusing Israel of seeking to "circumvent" its obligations under international law.

An Israeli military investigation into the incident released late on April 20 "found no evidence to support claims of execution" or "indiscriminate fire" by its troops, but admitted to operational failures and said it was firing a field commander.

It said six of those killed were militants, revising an earlier claim that nine of the men were fighters.

"The examination identified several professional failures, breaches of orders and a failure to fully report the incident," the summary of the investigation said.

The investigation found that the deputy battalion commander acted under the incorrect assumption that all the ambulances belonged to Hamas militants. It said the deputy commander, operating under “poor night visibility,” felt his troops were under threat when the ambulances sped toward their position and medics rushed out to check the victims.

The ambulances immediately came under a barrage of gunfire that went on for more than five minutes with brief pauses. Minutes later, soldiers opened fire at a U.N. car that stopped at the scene.

Mar. Gen. Yoav Har-Even, who oversees the military's investigations, said the military notified international organizations later that day and helped rescue workers locate the bodies.

The deputy commander was the first to open fire, leading the rest of the soldiers to start shooting, Har-Even said. The investigation found the paramedics were killed due to an “operational misunderstanding” by Israeli forces and that shooting at the U.N. car was a breach of orders.

No paramedic was armed and no weapons were found in any vehicle, Har-Even said.

One survivor was detained for investigation and remains in custody for further questioning.

Har-Even said the deputy commander was fired for giving a not “completely accurate” report to investigators about the firing on a U.N. vehicle.

The statement on the findings concluded by saying that Israel’s military “regrets the harm caused to uninvolved civilians.”

The Palestine Red Crescent Society also denounced the report as "full of lies.”

"It is invalid and unacceptable, as it justifies the killing and shifts responsibility to a personal error in the field command when the truth is quite different," Nebal Farsakh, spokesperson for the Red Crescent, said.

The U.N.'s humanitarian chief in Gaza suggested the investigation did not go far enough. "A lack of real accountability undermines international law and makes the world a more dangerous place," said Jonathan Whittall.

"Without accountability, we risk continuing to watch atrocities unfolding, and the norms designed to protect us all, eroding."

The Red Crescent and several other international organizations have previously called for an independent investigation into the incident.