Gaza’s civil defence agency has accused the Israeli military of carrying out “summary executions” of 15 emergency workers last month, rejecting the findings of an internal Israeli investigation that cleared its troops of deliberate wrongdoing.
The allegations stem from a deadly incident on March 23 near the southern Gaza city of Rafah, during which Israeli forces opened fire on paramedics and civil defence workers responding to distress calls. Among the dead were eight staff from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), six from Gaza’s civil defence agency, and one United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) employee.
The Israeli military released the findings of its investigation this week, acknowledging “professional failures” and dismissing a field commander, but concluded that no evidence supported claims of executions or indiscriminate fire. The report stated that troops believed they were under threat from militants, identifying six of the 15 killed as combatants — a revision from its earlier claim of nine.
Gaza’s civil defence agency rejected the findings, calling the report an attempt to “circumvent” international law. “The video filmed by one of the paramedics proves that the Israeli occupation’s narrative is false and demonstrates that it carried out summary executions,” said Mohammed Al-Mughair, a senior official in the agency.
The Palestine Red Crescent also condemned the investigation, describing it as “full of lies.” Spokesperson Nebal Farsakh said, “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 Israeli military admitted that the 15 workers were killed in three separate shootings at the same location. Their bodies were found in a shallow grave a week later by officials from the UN and PRCS. The army said a deputy commander responsible for the operation — a reservist — would be dismissed for failing to accurately report the events. A commanding officer is also to be formally reprimanded.
“The examination identified several professional failures, breaches of orders, and a failure to fully report the incident,” the military said in a statement. It added that the military advocate general is reviewing the case and that criminal charges could still be considered.
A video recovered from the phone of one of the dead paramedics, and later published by the PRCS, showed uniformed emergency personnel alongside clearly marked ambulances and fire trucks with lights on being targeted by gunfire — footage that has intensified scrutiny of Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
The UN’s human rights commissioner Volker Türk previously expressed concern that the attack may amount to a war crime.
