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Key Points
- The Israeli military has reviewed its killing of 15 clearly-marked emergency responders in Gaza in March.
- It says the deaths were accidental due to “several professional failures”, dismissing a commander in response.
- The Palestine Red Crescent rejected the findings, which they say are “full of lies”.
In a statement on Sunday, the Israeli military said a deputy commander will be reprimanded and has been dismissed from his position for providing an incomplete and inaccurate report, it said.
Major General Yoav Har-Even, who conducted the review, told reporters soldiers believed they were under threat after firing on what they initially determined as a Hamas vehicle but was in fact an ambulance. Two occupants were killed and a third was detained and questioned over suspected Hamas links.
The military also said there was no cover-up of the incident and the bodies of the 15 emergency responders and their vehicles were buried in a shallow grave to prevent them from being mangled by stray dogs and coyotes until they could be collected.
Red Crescent rejects findings
Nebal Farsakh, spokesperson for the Red Crescent, told Agence France-Presse: “The report is 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.”
