Video and autopsies contradict Israeli military claims as international pressure mounts for accountability

Fifteen paramedics and emergency responders killed by Israeli forces in Gaza were deliberately targeted and shot in the upper body “with intent to kill,” the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) announced on Monday, calling for an independent international investigation.

The incident, which occurred on 23 March in Rafah’s Tel al-Sultan district during a renewed Israeli offensive, has triggered global outrage and further strained Israel’s international standing. Autopsies conducted on the victims revealed consistent upper-body gunshot wounds, suggesting a coordinated attack rather than a tragic misidentification.

The victims included eight Red Crescent personnel, six members of the Gaza civil defence, and one UN agency worker. Their bodies were discovered in what humanitarian organisations described as a mass grave near the site of the shooting.

Crucially, video footage taken by one of the victims just seconds before the gunfire erupted shows clearly marked emergency vehicles with flashing lights and sirens, directly contradicting Israel’s claim that the medics were driving unmarked, lightless vehicles.

Initially, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) insisted their troops acted against “suspicious vehicles” approaching without prior clearance. But after the video emerged, the IDF changed its account, conceding the earlier version was “mistaken” and claiming—without evidence—that six of the medics were linked to Hamas.

None of the victims were armed.

Germany, one of Israel’s closest allies in the EU, issued a rare rebuke, demanding an urgent investigation. “There are very significant questions about the actions of the Israeli army,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Christian Wagner. He warned that the incident “affects the credibility of the Israeli constitutional state.”

Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, Israel’s military chief, has ordered a more in-depth probe, though critics remain sceptical. Human rights organisations have long accused Israel of a “culture of impunity,” citing years of unpunished attacks on humanitarian personnel in Gaza.

Younis al-Khatib, president of the West Bank Red Crescent, questioned the army’s motives in concealing the bodies. “Why did you hide the bodies?” he asked. “This was a deliberate killing. It is no longer enough to speak of international law—we demand implementation and punishment.”

He called on the UN and international community to form an independent commission to investigate the incident, which he described as a war crime.

The killings form part of a broader pattern. Since the war began in October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed hundreds of humanitarian and medical workers, including international staff. Just days earlier, six members of World Central Kitchen, including British citizen James Kirby, were killed in a strike on their clearly marked convoy.

The violence continued on Monday, when an Israeli strike on a media tent near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis killed Palestinian journalist Helmi al-Faqawi and a civilian, Yousef al-Khazandar, according to Gaza Civil Defence.

As international outrage grows, pressure is building on Israel to allow an independent investigation into the latest killings. For families and colleagues of the slain responders, the demand is simple: accountability for what they believe was not a battlefield mistake—but a massacre.