Last updated on April 21st, 2025 at 12:16 pm
The Israeli military has acknowledged “professional failures” surrounding a March 23 incident in which their troops fired on a convoy of emergency vehicles operating in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Israeli soldiers shot and killed 15 paramedics in an ambush attack before burying them in a mass grave last month.
The Israeli military initially claimed their troops fired on a group of suspicious vehicles, including ambulances that were operating at night without their lights and emergency signals on. These early Israel claims fell into doubt as footage from the attack came to light. The footage, reportedly recovered from a cell-phone on the body of one of the slain paramedics, showed a convoy of emergency vehicles driving with their lights and signals on before they came under fire.
🚨 Video That Exposes the Israeli Occupation’s Lies
The Palestine Red Crescent Society has obtained a video from the family of a martyred EMT, found on his mobile phone after his body was recovered from a mass grave in Gaza. He was among 15 ambulance and relief team members… pic.twitter.com/8iWqULxijC
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) April 5, 2025
As this new footage came to light, Israeli military officials said they were continuing to review the assessment. Maj. Gen. Yoav Har-Even led the new fact-finding effort.
In an April 8 emailed statement shared with FreeBase News, an Israeli military spokesperson said Israeli troops “opened fire due to a perceived threat.” The statement offered no indication these Israeli troops had a positive identification of their target before they opened fire. Instead, the Israeli military indicated its soldiers identified six Hamas suspects among the dead only after opening fire. The Israeli military still has yet to identify the alleged Hamas militants by name or provide proof of the alleged affiliation.
The 15 paramedics killed in the ambush include a mix of personnel from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and the Palestinian Civil Defense (PCD) service. PCD provides ambulance services and other emergency response capabilities for the self-styled Palestinian governing authorities in the West Bank and Gaza. Hamas has been the de facto government in Gaza since 2007.
While the Israeli government has designated Hamas as a terrorist organization, it’s unclear if Israel would consider any or all PCD personnel as valid targets. FreeBase News has asked the Israeli military about its rules of engagement concerning PCD personnel but has not received a clear response on this matter.
The Israeli military published it’s latest assessment on April 20. In a statement shared with the Associated Press, Har-Even said no weapons were found among the 15 paramedics that Israeli troops killed on March 23.
According to the Israeli investigators, soldiers assigned to the Golani Reconnaissance Battalion opened fire on March 23 in three separate night-time engagements at the same approximate location.
“First incident – The troops fired at a vehicle identified as a Hamas vehicle. Following this, the troops remained on high alert for further potential threats,” an Israeli press statement reads.
Details about this first shooting engagement remain unclear and the Israeli military declined to provide further comment following its April 20 assessment.
The 15 paramedics appear to have been killed during the second shooting incident, as their ambulance convoy rolled through the same area as the first attack about an hour later.
“Supporting surveillance had reported five vehicles approaching rapidly and stopping near the troops, with passengers quickly disembarking. The deputy battalion commander assessed the vehicles as employed by Hamas forces, who arrived to assist the first vehicle’s passengers. Under this impression and sense of threat, he ordered to open fire,” the Israeli military said.
Despite the ambulance crews running their emergency signals, the Israeli military said the deputy battalion commander on the scene failed to recognize the vehicles as ambulances due to poor nighttime visibility.
“Only later, after approaching the vehicles and scanning them, was it discovered that these were indeed rescue teams,” the Israeli military said.
Investigators said the third shooting incident occurred about 15 minutes after the second.
“Troops fired at a Palestinian UN vehicle due to operational errors in breach of regulations,” the statement reads. “The troops’ commander initially reported the event, and additional details emerged later in the examination.”
It’s unclear if Israeli forces wounded or killed any additional individuals in this third shooting incident.
“The examination determined that the fire in the first two incidents resulted from an operational misunderstanding by the troops, who believed they faced a tangible threat from enemy forces. The third incident involved a breach of orders during a combat setting,” the April 20 assessment states.
Following their internal investigation, Israeli military officials concluded the Golani Reconnaissance Battalion is a professional unit that has served with distinction in the ongoing Gaza conflict. Still, the investigators concluded there were “several professional failures, breaches of orders, and a failure to fully report the incident.”
The Israeli military said it will dismiss the deputy commander of the Golani Reconnaissance Battalion “for providing an incomplete and inaccurate report during the debrief.” The commanding officer of Israel’s 14th Brigade will also reportedly receive a reprimand over the incident.
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