Israeli Investigation on the Killing of 15 Medical Staff in Gaza Found 'Professional Failure' – Country
Israel's investigation into the killing of 15 Palestinian medical personnel by Israeli forces last month was that Israeli forces said Sunday it found a “professional failure” and would fire a deputy commander.
Israel initially claimed that when troops opened fire, there was no emergency signal from the medical staff's vehicles, but then fell back. The mobile video was recovered from a medical staff member, which contradicted the initial account of Israel.
Military investigations found that the deputy battalion commander “because of poor night popularity,” assessed that the ambulance belonged to Hamas militants. Videotapes obtained from the incident showed that the ambulance’s lights flashed and the logo was visible as they lifted to help another ambulance that was slammed earlier. With three medical staff emerging and moving towards this, the team did not appear to be showing in a threatening way.
Their vehicle was immediately bounced off for more than five minutes.
The body is buried in a large-scale grave
Eight Red Crescent personnel, six civil defense personnel and a UN staff member were killed in the shooting in the pre-dawn shooting on March 23, and were operated by Tel al-Sultan of Rafa, southern Gaza. The troops sell corpses on corpses and bury them in large-scale graves. The United Nations and rescue workers can only arrive at the scene in one week to excavate the bodies.
The head of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said these people were “targeted at close range.”
The Israeli military investigation said the inspection found “no evidence to support the enforcement of the claim, or that any deceased was bound before or after the shooting.”
It said Palestinians were killed due to “misunderstanding of operations” by Israeli forces and another incident violated the order 15 minutes later when Israeli soldiers fired a UN vehicle on a Palestinian United Nations.
The investigation said the deputy commander who was to be fired was the first to fire, and the rest of the soldiers also began shooting.
The findings pointed out that the six killed were members of Hamas and said some of them were initially mistaken for Hamas. Israel's army initially said that nine were militants. Civil defense is part of the Hamas government.
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Israel accuses Hamas of hiding fighter planes in ambulance
The investigation found that the decision to crush the ambulance was wrong, but said there was no attempt to cover up the incident. Major General Yoav Har-even, who is in charge of the military's investigation, said the bodies and vehicles were removed from the road as the military hoped to use them for the evacuation route later that day.
Har-ven said the military notified international organizations that day and helped them find the body.
The statement on the findings concluded that Israel's military “repents the harm caused to the uninvolved civilians.” A survivor was detained for investigation and was still under detention for further inquiry.
The findings of the investigation have been handed over to the General of the military advocate who can decide whether to file the charges. It was originally an independent body and was overseen by the Attorney General of Israel and the Supreme Court.
There was no external investigation into the killing.
Israel accused Hamas of moving and hiding its fighters in ambulances and emergency vehicles, as well as hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, arguing that this proved a strike against them. Medical staff largely deny the allegations.
According to the Israeli military rarely investigates such incidents, the Israeli strike has killed more than 150 Red Crescent and civil defense emergency personnel, most of whom have more than 1,000 health workers on duty and during the war.
Israel questioned ICC allegations of war crimes
Palestinians and international human rights groups have repeatedly accused the Israeli army of misconduct that failed to properly investigate or paint their troops.
Har-ven said the Israeli military is currently investigating 421 incidents during the war, 51 of which ended and sent to military advocates. There is no immediate information about the number of investigations involving potentially wrongful deaths or the magazine has taken criminal charges.
The International Criminal Court, founded by the international community, is the last resort court, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of war crimes. Israel, not a member of the court, has long asserted that its legal system is able to investigate the military, with Netanyahu accusing the International Criminal Court (ICC) of anti-Semitism.
The war in Gaza began with Hamas-led militants attacking southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, resulting in 251 people. Most of the hostages have been released in a ceasefire agreement or other transactions. Hamas currently has 59 hostages, 24 of whom are considered alive.
Since then, the Israeli attack has killed more than 51,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which has not distinguished between civilians and combatants.
The war destroyed much of Gaza and most of its food production capacity. About 90% of the population is displaced, with thousands living in tent camps and bombed buildings.
Frustration has been growing on both sides, with rare public protests in Hamas in Gaza, and Israel continues to hold weekly rallies urging the government to reach a deal to bring all hostages home.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
