The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has called for an independent international inquiry into the 23 March killing of 15 emergency workers by Israeli troops in southern Gaza, following the release of an 18-minute video filmed by one of the victims.
The footage, captured by paramedic Rifaat Radwan before his death, shows a convoy of ambulances and emergency vehicles travelling with headlights and flashing emergency lights, contradicting the Israeli military’s initial claim that the vehicles were moving “suspiciously” and without lights.
The PRCS has labelled the incident a “fully fledged war crime” and insisted the attack was not a mistake but part of “a series of deliberate attacks.”
It released the full video on 1 April, saying it offered clear visual and audio evidence that the medics were identifiable and following all operational protocols.
Radwan’s video shows him and colleague Asaad al-Nassasra, whose fate remains unknown, coordinating with another ambulance crew before forming a convoy. A fire engine and additional ambulances—clearly marked and illuminated—then appear. As the convoy pulls over near a van, gunfire erupts.
The video captures over five minutes of sustained shooting. Radwan is heard praying and reciting his last words, while the voices of Israeli soldiers can be heard approaching. The PRCS said the vehicles were unarmed and in compliance with safety regulations.
Israel’s military initially justified the attack by saying the vehicles had no lights and had not coordinated movement. On 6 April, the IDF admitted that account was mistaken, after the final segment of Radwan’s video confirmed the use of lights and sirens.
At a news conference in the occupied West Bank, PRCS President Dr Younes al-Khatib rejected Israel’s internal inquiry. He stated: “We don’t trust the Israeli investigation because of previous experience. These were deliberate attacks, not individual mistakes.”
Khatib also refuted Israel’s claim that six of the dead were Hamas operatives. “They have failed to prove even once in 50 years that the Red Crescent or its crews carry or use weapons,” he said, urging for global accountability.
The IDF reiterated on Monday that troops “opened fire due to a perceived threat following a previous encounter in the area,” adding that six individuals were allegedly identified as Hamas members. No evidence has been provided to support that claim.
The PRCS asserted that the attack sequence began when an ambulance responding to a bombing in al-Hashashin was targeted, followed by strikes on the arriving convoy and then a fourth vehicle sent to assist. The area was not designated a military “red zone,” according to the PRCS.
The 15 victims—eight Red Crescent paramedics, six Civil Defence workers, and a UN staff member—were found a week later in a shallow grave after international agencies gained safe passage.
The PRCS reported multiple gunshot wounds to the victims’ upper bodies, suggesting close-range targeting.
The IDF stated that its Chief of Staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, had reviewed the initial findings and ordered the general staff’s investigative mechanism to deepen the probe. It promised that “all claims will be examined thoroughly and presented in a detailed manner.”
The PRCS, however, remains firm in demanding an independent inquiry led by international bodies, asserting that internal IDF investigations cannot deliver justice. “These 15 men represent all those who were killed for the sake of saving lives,” Khatib said. “We hope through them, we can bring justice.”
The killings occurred amid renewed Israeli operations in Gaza, which resumed on 18 March following the breakdown of a temporary ceasefire.
Israel launched its campaign to dismantle Hamas after the 7 October 2023 attacks in which around 1,200 people in Israel were killed and 251 taken hostage. Since then, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reports that more than 50,750 people have been killed in the territory.
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