Gaza (Quds News Network)- The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said on Sunday it had recovered the bodies of 15 rescuers killed a week ago when Israeli forces targeted ambulances in the Gaza Strip.
Bodies of eight medics from the Red Crescent, six members of Gaza’s civil defence agency and one employee of a UN agency were retrieved, the Red Crescent said in a statement.
It said one medic, Asaad Nasasra, from the Red Crescent remained missing.
The group said those killed “were targeted by the Israeli occupation forces while performing their humanitarian duties as they were heading to the Hashashin area of Rafah to provide first aid to a number of people injured by Israeli shelling in the area”.
“The occupation’s targeting of Red Crescent medics … can only be considered a war crime punishable under international humanitarian law, which the occupation continues to violate before the eyes of the entire world.”
In an earlier statement the Red Crescent said the bodies “were recovered with difficulty as they were buried in the sand, with some showing signs of decomposition”.
PRCS President Younis al-Khatib condemned Israel for targeting its paramedics as they “fulfil their humanitarian mission”.
“Those souls are not mere numbers. If this incident [happened] anywhere else, the whole world would have moved heaven and earth to expose this war crime,” al-Khatib said on Sunday.
Last week, the Israeli military said that it had fired on ambulances and fire trucks – calling them “suspicious vehicles” – that arrived at a scene where it was carrying out attacks.
Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim slammed the attack on the ambulance and said the “targeted killing of rescue workers – who are protected under international humanitarian law – constitutes a flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions and a war crime”.
The PRCS shared images of its teams saying goodbye to their slain colleagues.
The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed in a statement that the bodies of eight paramedics were recovered today after contact with them had been lost over the previous days.
It added: “Some of these bodies were bound and shot in the chest. They were buried in a deep hole to prevent their identification.”
The ministry called on “UN organisations and relevant international bodies to conduct an urgent investigation into these crimes and hold the occupation accountable for committing them.”
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said the attack is the single deadliest attack on Red Cross/Red Crescent workers anywhere in the world since 2017.
“These dedicated ambulance workers were responding to wounded people. They were humanitarians. They wore emblems that should have protected them; their ambulances were clearly marked. They should have returned to their families; they did not,” IFRC Secretary_General Jagan Chapagain said in a statement.
“Even in the most complex conflict zones, there are rules. These rules of International Humanitarian Law could not be clearer – civilians must be protected; humanitarians must be protected. Health services must be protected,” Chapagain said.
OCHA chief Tom Fletcher said since Israel broke the ceasefire in Gaza on March 18 and resumed its war on the enclave, Israeli air attacks have hit “densely populated areas”, with “patients killed in their hospital beds, ambulances shot at, first responders killed”.
Since Israel resumed its attacks on Gaza, more than 900 Palestinian civilians have been killed in the territory, adding to the more than 50,000 killed since October 7, 2023, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Red Cross Federation ‘Outraged’ at Israel’s Murder of Red Crescent Medics in Gaza
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has condemned Israel’s killing of 14 medics in Gaza. The victims, including nine from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and five from Gaza’s civil defense, were executed and buried in a deep pit to hide their bodies. Their hands were bound, and they were shot in the chest.
Their bodies were recovered a week after Israeli forces attacked their ambulances in Rafah’s Tel al-Sultan neighborhood. The medics had been responding to injured civilians when they came under fire.
“I am heartbroken,” said IFRC Secretary-General Jagan Chapagain. “These ambulance workers were humanitarians. Their vehicles were clearly marked. They should have returned to their families—but they did not.”
Israel admitted to firing on the ambulances, calling them “suspicious vehicles.” It claimed Hamas fighters were inside. No evidence was provided to support the claim. Humnitarian groups insist the victims were medics performing their duties.
The IFRC demanded accountability and stressed that international law protects medical workers. “When will this stop?” Chapagain asked. “All parties must stop the killing.”
Since the war began in October 2023, at least 30 PRCS medics have been killed.
