IDF inquiry says “professional failure” leads to the killing of Gaza doctors

The Israeli military said a “professional failure” led to the killing of 15 emergency emergency personnel in Gaza last month.

The IDF's investigation into the incident has found a series of failures, including “misunderstanding” and “order violations.”

The deputy commander involved in the department was dismissed for providing incomplete and inaccurate reports during the reporting period.

A spokeswoman for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said the report was “ineffective” because when the truth was completely different, the report “proves and shifts the blame to a personal error in the on-site order.”

A corporate ambulance, a United Nations car and a fire truck were killed on March 23 after the Israeli military caught fire.

The IDF said in a statement that its troops believed they were facing threats from enemy forces.

The IDF said its investigation found six of the casualties were members of Hamas and refused a summary execution.

Despite the names of the people killed in the public sphere, it does not provide evidence of any affiliation with Hamas.

The report said the incident occurred in what was called a “hostile and dangerous combat zone” and that local commanders became aware of the direct and tangible threat as soon as the vehicle approached quickly.

It accused “night visibility”, which the IDF said means the commander did not identify the vehicle as an ambulance.

Israel initially claimed that troops fired because the convoy was “suspiciously” in the dark without headlights or flashes. It said the vehicle's actions had not been coordinated or agreed to with the military before.

But later it was said that the video found on a killed doctor's phone showed the vehicle lights, and the account was “error” after the emergency signal flashed.

The video shows that the vehicle was pulled up on the road before the shooting began.

The video lasted for more than five minutes, and paramedics spoke his last prayer before hearing the voices of Israeli soldiers approaching the vehicle.

It also shows that the vehicle is clearly marked and the caregiver is wearing a reflective high-volt uniform.

The bodies of 15 dead were buried on the beach. They were not discovered until a week after the incident, as international agencies, including the United Nations, were unable to organize safe passage or locate the area.

The IDF also confirmed that it detained the PRCS doctors it had detained after the incident. They did not confirm his name, but the ICRC had previously named him Assad Nassasra.

The Red Crescent and several other international organizations have previously called for an independent investigation into the incident.

The IDF's decision to fire commanders and another senior official of discipline is not unheard of – the military dismissed two officers and took action against others after killing seven aid workers in the World Central Kitchen in April last year.

Israel launched its first major action in Rafa in May 2024, leaving most of the area in ruins. In the last two months of ceasefire, thousands have returned to the remaining homes in the city.

Israel launched an offensive in Gaza on March 18 after the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement and negotiations were held in the second phase of the deal.

Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the unprecedented cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, with about 1,200 people killed and another 251 were taken hostage.

At least 51,201 people have been killed in Gaza since, according to the Hamas-Ministry of Operations in the region.