CAIRO โ Gazaโs primary rescue service denounced an Israeli investigation concerning the deaths of 15 medical workers last month, labeling it a โfabricated investigation.โ
The Israeli army revealed the findings of its investigation, citing โprofessional failuresโ and relieving a deputy commander following what it termed an accident.
The tragic incident on March 23 led to the deaths of 15 individuals, including eight medics affiliated with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, six members associated with the Hamas governmentโs Civil Defense unit, and one United Nations staffer. In the chaos, troops reportedly bulldozed the bodies and their vehicles, placing them into a mass grave. U.N. and rescue teams managed to access the site a week later.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society issued a statement stressing that the investigation illustrates โthe occupationโs persistence in shielding the truth from the world.โ They accused Israel of making โfallacious allegationsโ linking medical rescue teams to Hamas and questioned the ongoing detention of a paramedic who survived the incident.
โWe urge the international community to reject the results of the occupationโs fabricated investigation,โ the statement read.
Initially, Israel suggested the medicsโ vehicles acted suspiciously without displaying emergency signals when fired upon. However, the army later revised this narrative after cellphone footage from one medic showed ambulances with flashing lights and visible logos as they approached to aid another ambulance under fire earlier.
The military claimed six of those killed were Hamas militants but has yet to provide substantial evidence supporting this assertion.
The shootings have provoked international outrage, with some alleging that the killings amount to war crimes.