Video contradicts Israel’s version of the death of paramedics

Images obtained by the NYT show that ambulances and other vehicles were clearly identified, contrary to Israel’s version. Attack resulted in the death of 15 rescuers, whose bodies were found in a ditch.

A video recovered from a paramedic phone killed in an Israeli attack that killed 14 other rescuers in Gaza contradicts Israel’s report that their vehicles carrying the teams were without light and moved in a “suspicious” way.

The video, just under seven minutes and published by the American newspaper The New York Times (NYT), shows that the ambulances carrying rescuers, dressed in reflective uniforms, and the accompanying fire truck were clearly identified and with the emergency lights on.

The rescuers who died were eight employees of the Gaza Civil Defense Agency, six members of the Gaza Civil Defense Agency, and a UN agency employee for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa).

The video was shared with the newspaper by a UN diplomat who ordered anonymity. The NYT claims to have checked the shoot and concluded that it was recorded in the early hours of March 23 in Rafah, southern Gaza, where the attack occurred.

The events occurred when Israel ordered the forced evacuation of the Tel Al Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, which was bombarded shortly thereafter. The Red Crescent then mobilized two ambulances to look for the injured and, after losing contact with one of them, several rescue teams were sent, which were also attacked for several hours, according to the UN.

Emergency services were unable to access the area up to four days after the attack, when they were able to recover the body of a Civil Defense official. The following Sunday, in a new search, rescue teams dug another 14 bodies in what the UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) described as a common ditch.

In the images, the vehicles stop next to each other by the roadside and two uniform men leave. Moments later, there is an intense shooting. In the video, you can hear the voices of two doctors. “The vehicle, the vehicle,” says one of them. “It looks like an accident,” points out another. A series of fire breaks seconds later and the screen gets black.

In the video obtained by the NYT, the paramedic who recorded the incident can be heard by saying, “Forgive me, Mother. This is the way I chose: to help people.” Then shots echo for five minutes, while the image darkens. Man calls for forgiveness to God and says he knows he will die.

According to Unocha’s head for Palestine, Jonathan Whittall, five ambulances, as well as a UN vehicle and a fire truck, were “crushed” and “discarded”. Some of the bodies were found with their hands or legs tied and bullet injuries to the head and chest, according to two witnesses.

Israel says it will examine images

Last Wednesday, the Israeli army admitted that he covered the bodies of the 15 paramedics and rescuers “with cloth and earth”, claiming that he did it because he believed the rescue would take time.

After the deaths became public, Israel insisted that there were “terrorists” on vehicles and that nine alleged terrorists would have been killed, although so far it has identified only one, whose name is not on the lists of victims published by the Red Crescent and the Civil Defense of Gaza.

The Israeli army also stated that its soldiers “did not randomly attack” any ambulance. A military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, also said that the troops opened fire on vehicles that had no prior authorization from the Israeli authorities and had the lights off.

But video images seem to contradict the allegations of the Israeli military, as they show ambulances traveling with clearly lit emergency headlights and lights.

This Saturday, the army of Israel, after release of the video, said that “will exhaustively examine” the images of the attack that killed the 15 rescuers.

“The incident that took place on March 23, 2025 is being investigated exhaustively. All allegations, including circulating documentation on the incident, will be exhaustively examined to understand the sequence of events and the management of the situation,” said an Israeli military spokesman.

“Anyone with information or documentation related to the incident is invited to present them to Israel’s defense forces for later analysis,” the source added.

Reacting to the video published by The New York Times, Hamas authorities in Gaza said on Saturday that “we are witnessing a total, premeditated and deliberate war crime, demonstrating a complete disrespect to the blood of medical and humanitarian staff.”

In a statement shared by the Gaza Government Press Office, Enclave authorities asked for an international investigation into what happened and the sending of teams to the site to visit the ordinary ditch.

In addition, they required those responsible to be taken to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Originally published by DW on 05/04/2025