Video footage appears to contradict Israeli account of Gaza medic killings.
BBC News:
Mobile phone footage has surfaced, challenging Israel's version of events regarding the shooting of a convoy of ambulances and a fire truck on March 23, which resulted in the deaths of 15 rescue workers. The video, released by the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), shows the vehicles moving in darkness with headlights and emergency lights flashing before they were fired upon. According to the PRCS, the footage was retrieved from the phone of a paramedic who died in the incident.
Initially, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied that the vehicles had their headlights or emergency signals activated. However, in response to the new footage, the IDF told the BBC that "all claims, including the documentation circulating about the incident, will be thoroughly and deeply examined to understand the sequence of events and the handling of the situation."
A surviving paramedic had previously told the BBC that the ambulances were clearly marked and had both internal and external lights on. The recently released video, which the PRCS says was shown to the UN Security Council, shows the marked vehicles stopping at the side of the road, with lights still flashing and at least two emergency workers stepping out in reflective clothing. The vehicle filming the scene is heard being shot at for several minutes, with the person filming, presumed to be one of the deceased paramedics, saying prayers.
The footage was found on the paramedic's phone after his body was recovered from a shallow grave one week later, alongside the bodies of eight paramedics, six Gaza Civil Defence workers, and a UN employee, all buried in sand along with their damaged vehicles. International organizations spent days negotiating safe access to the site.
Israel claimed that Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants were among those killed, though it has not provided any evidence or further clarification about the threat to its troops. Israel's Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, reiterated the army's account, stating that the IDF did not randomly attack an ambulance. The IDF pledged to investigate the incident after a surviving paramedic challenged their version.
Paramedic Munther Abed, in an interview with the BBC, confirmed that the ambulances were clearly identifiable as such, with all lights on, and denied any militant affiliations. "All crews are civilian," he said. "Our main duty is to offer ambulance services and save lives."
During a UN speech, PRCS President Dr. Younis Al-Khatib referenced the footage, recalling the last words of one of the deceased team members before being shot: "Forgive me, mum, I just wanted to help people. I wanted to save lives." He called for accountability and a thorough independent investigation into the "atrocious crime."
One paramedic remains missing after the March 23 incident.
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