Revised Account Emerges in Gaza Aid Worker Tragedy

 

The Israeli military has revised its initial account of the tragic killing of 15 emergency workers near Rafah in southern Gaza on March 23. Initially, the military claimed that soldiers fired on vehicles approaching their position "suspiciously" in the dark, without lights or markings, and identified the victims as militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad. However, newly surfaced video footage from one of the victims' mobile phones, released by the Palestinian Red Crescent, contradicts this narrative.

The video shows emergency workers in uniforms, operating clearly marked ambulances and fire trucks with their lights on, being fired upon by soldiers. Munther Abed, the sole survivor and a paramedic with the Palestinian Red Crescent, corroborated this, stating that soldiers targeted clearly marked emergency vehicles.

An Israeli military official acknowledged that the initial report from the field was mistaken and attributed the error to the person providing the account. Investigations are ongoing, with conclusions expected to be presented to army commanders. The United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent have called for an independent inquiry into the incident, which has drawn international attention and condemnation.