Israeli investigation into killing Palestinian first responders found ‘professional failure’
Israel investigated the fatal shooting of 15 emergency workers in Gaza last month, saying it found evidence of “professional failure” and would fire the deputy commander.
Israel initially claimed that when troops opened fire, there was no emergency signal from Palestinian medical personnel’s vehicles, but later went back. The mobile video recovered from one of the medical staff appears to contradict Israel’s initial account.
The military investigation was released on Sunday and found that the deputy battalion commander “due to his poor night visibility,” assessed that the ambulance belonged to Hamas militants. Videos at the scene showed the ambulance’s lights flashing and the logo was visible as they lifted to help the ambulance that was caught in the fire earlier.
The military said the preliminary investigation showed: “The troops opened fire after a previous encounter in the area due to perceived threats, and the six individuals killed in the incident were identified as Hamas terrorists.”
It provided no evidence on how it identified six of them as Hamas militants, and the Islamic factions rejected the allegation.
Before dawn on March 23, eight Red Crescent personnel, six civil defense personnel and one UN staff member were killed by Israeli forces and in Tel al-Sultan, the southern city of Gaza.
The troops then sold the corpse and buried it in a large-scale grave. 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 the murdered man was “targeted at close range.”
Israeli military investigation says Israeli forces’ “misunderstanding of operations” killed Palestinians, and another incident violated the order 15 minutes later when Israeli soldiers fired a UN vehicle on a Palestinian United Nations.
No paramedics were armed and no major general Yoav Har-eve was found in any vehicle, in charge of the military’s investigation department, he told reporters.
The United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society demanded an independent investigation.
Israeli investigation found that the decision to crush the ambulance was wrong, but denied trying to hide the incident.
It added: “The exam found no evidence to support the execution claim or that any of the deceased was bound before or after the shooting.”
A commander deserves reprehensionor his “total responsibility for the incident”. Deputy Commander fired Provide “incomplete and inaccurate reports” of killings. It did not say whether anyone faced criminal charges.
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.
