The Israeli military has acknowledged that its forces made serious errors during a March 23 incident in southern Gaza that resulted in the deaths of 15 emergency workers, including paramedics and civil defense personnel.
The convoy—composed of ambulances from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), a UN-marked vehicle, and a Gaza Civil Defense fire truck—was fired upon near Rafah while responding to a call to assist injured civilians.
Initially, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed the vehicles were moving "suspiciously" at night without headlights or sirens, and had not coordinated their movements with the military.
However, mobile phone footage from one of the paramedics killed, Refat Radwan, contradicts this as it shows the vehicles had their lights on. Also in the video, Radwan is heard praying before Israeli soldiers approach the scene.
An IDF official briefing reporters on Saturday said that ground troops had earlier targeted a car carrying three Hamas members.
When emergency vehicles arrived and stopped near the previously struck vehicle, aerial surveillance flagged them as “suspicious.” Believing they posed a threat, soldiers opened fire.
Israel now admits that its original statement about the vehicles lacking lights was inaccurate.
The military also confirmed that all those killed were unarmed, though it alleged—without presenting evidence—that six of the victims had ties to Hamas.
A surviving paramedic interviewed by the BBC denied any such connections and confirmed the ambulances had all been using their lights.
When a rescue team eventually reached the area, they found the bodies and Radwan’s phone, which contained video of the attack.
The military denied reports that the emergency workers were executed at close range or that they were handcuffed, as some accounts have suggested.
