An investigation into the murder of 15 Palestinian health workers in Gaza last month by Israeli forces in Gaza said a “special failure” was discovered on Sunday, resulting in a deniability by the deputy commander.
The commander of the deputy battalion rated the medical ambulance as belonging to Hamas militants “due to poor visibility at night,” the military investigation said.
The Palestinians were killed due to “operational misunderstandings” by the Israeli military. In another incident 15 minutes later, Israeli soldiers shot a Palestinian UN vehicle that was a violation of the order, the investigation added.
Eight red crescent staff, six civil defense workers and UN staff were killed in gunfire before dawn on March 23 by troops operating in Tel Al Sultan, Rafa district in southern Gaza.
Israel initially claimed that Medic’s vehicle had no emergency signal when the military opened the fire, but claimed that a video of a cell phone later recovered from one of the Medics contradicted the description and was followed behind.
The footage obtained shows the ambulance flashing lights and the logo appears visible.
Three Medics appear and head to the other ambulances, they are quickly dropped to a barrage of gunfires, lasting over five minutes with a short pause.
The deputy commander first fired before the remaining soldiers took part in the shooting, according to investigations.
The body was buried in the tomb of the masses
The victim’s body, along with its analyzed vehicle, was then bulldozed by the army and buried in the tomb of the masses in what the head of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, in what is called a deliberate act.
Dr. Younis Al-Khatib said the man was “targeted at close range.” However, Israeli military investigations stated that “there is no evidence supporting the claims of execution or that any of the deceased were detained before or after the shooting.”
The investigation said the decision to crush the ambulance was wrong, but there were no attempts to hide the event.
Joab Hah Hah Jene Jene, head of the military’s investigation department, said the military had been off the road as they intended to use it as an evacuation route later that day.
The UN and rescuers were able to arrive at the site a week later to excavate the bodies after reportedly receiving instructions from Israeli forces.
The findings stated that six people killed were Hamas members, and some of the others were originally misidentified as Hamas. The Israeli military initially said nine were extremists.
Israel accuses Hamas of hiding fighter jets in ambulances
The findings concluded that Israeli military “remortality caused by civilians who were not involved.”
One survivor is detained for investigation and remains detained for further questions.
It is not the first time that Israel has faced a charge of an emergency and murder of humanitarian workers in the Gaza War.
According to the United Nations, Israel’s strike killed more than 150 emergency responders from Red Crescent and civil defense.
Israel challenges ICC accusations of war crimes
Palestinians and international human rights groups have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of failing to properly investigate or whitewash military misconduct.
Israeli Defense Minister Joab Gallant and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court, which was created by the international community as a last resort court.
Israel, which is not a member of the court, has long argued that its legal system can investigate the Army. Netanyahu has denounced the ICC for anti-Semitism.
