Investigation in Israel suggests that failures in professionalism led to the deaths of 15 medics in Gaza

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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”.

The Israeli military has said a review into last month’s killing of emergency responders in Gaza found there had been “several professional failures” and that a commander would be dismissed over the incident.

The 15 paramedics and other rescue workers were shot dead on 23 March in three separate shootings at the same location near the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

They were buried in a mass grave where their bodies and ambulances were found a week later by officials from the United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

A video recovered from the mobile phone of one of the dead men and published by the Palestinian Red Crescent showed uniformed emergency responders and clearly marked ambulances and fire trucks, with their lights on, being fired on by soldiers.

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.

“The examination identified several professional failures, breaches of orders, and a failure to fully report the incident,” the military said.

Red Crescent and UN officials have said 17 paramedics and emergency workers from the Red Crescent, the Civil Emergency service and the UN had been dispatched to respond to reports of injuries from Israeli airstrikes.

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.

Paramedic Munther Abed, who was detained and later released, said soldiers opened fire on clearly marked emergency response vehicles.

The report says the deputy commander did not initially recognise the vehicles as ambulances and a fire truck due to what they said was “poor night visibility” and ordered his unit of about 20 soldiers to open fire.

About 15 minutes after the soldiers opened fire on the group of emergency responders, the military said that soldiers fired at a Palestinian UN vehicle. The military blamed “operational errors in breach of regulation” for the incident.

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

But medics and forensic experts who had seen some of the bodies after they were recovered alleged there was evidence the men had been shot execution style in the head.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society rejected the findings of the military investigation, denouncing the report as “full of lies”.

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.”

The Red Cross said on 13 April, another Palestinian emergency responder was being held by Israeli authorities. The military said on Sunday he is still in Israeli custody.

The military has said, without providing evidence, that six of the 15 emergency responders killed were later identified as “Hamas terrorists”. Hamas has rejected the accusation.

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