World
India
The Israeli military has acknowledged a series of “professional failures, breaches of orders, and a failure to fully report” the March 23 killing of 15 emergency workers near Rafah in southern Gaza, following an internal review, Reuters reported on Sunday.
The incident, which sparked international outcry, involved the deaths of paramedics and rescue personnel from the Palestinian Red Crescent, the Civil Emergency Service, and the United Nations. Their bodies were later found in a shallow grave by the UN and Red Crescent officials.
“The fire in the first two incidents resulted from an operational misunderstanding by the troops, who believed they faced a tangible threat from enemy forces. The third incident involved a breach of orders during a combat setting”, the Israeli military said in a statement, according to Reuters.
Following the probe, a field deputy commander has been dismissed for providing an “incomplete and inaccurate report” and for ordering fire on what he believed were hostile forces, the report said, adding that a commanding officer will be reprimanded for overall responsibility.
According to the report, the Israeli military said it saw “no attempt to conceal the event,” adding that it had coordinated with international bodies, including the UN, for the removal of the bodies.
The Israeli military, the report said, has claimed that the troops misidentified emergency responders due to “poor night visibility” and alleged that earlier that night, they had encountered what they believed was a Hamas vehicle. However, the IDF did not provide specifics on how they determined it.
According to the report, a video retrieved from one of the victims’ mobile phones and released by the Palestinian Red Crescent showed clearly marked ambulances and fire trucks with flashing emergency lights being fired upon by soldiers.
Furthermore, the Israeli military asserted — without providing evidence — that six of the 15 emergency responders killed were “Hamas terrorists”, a claim that Hamas has denied.
The military reportedly said that around 15 minutes after the initial shooting, soldiers also opened fire on a UN-marked vehicle, citing “operational errors in breach of regulation.”
According to the military’s statement, “At dawn, it was decided to gather and cover the bodies to prevent further harm and clear the vehicles from the route in preparation for civilian evacuation.”
While it said removing the bodies was reasonable “under the circumstances,” it admitted that “crushing the vehicles was wrong.”
