Importance Score: 68 / 100 🔴
Gaza Conflict: Bodies of Medics and Civilians Recovered After Rafah Incident
Gaza Strip – At least 14 bodies have been recovered in southern Gaza, including those of eight medics, one week after an incident where Israeli forces reportedly fired upon ambulances. The recovery underscores the ongoing dangers faced by humanitarian workers amidst the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Red Cross Reports Retrieval of Personnel After Days of Access Denial
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) stated that the bodies were retrieved following “seven days of silence” and denied access to the area near Rafah where they were last accounted for. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) confirmed in a statement posted on X, that alongside the medics, the remains of six members of Gaza‘s civil defense and one U.N. agency employee were also discovered.
The PRCS further indicated that one of its medics remains missing.
IFRC Expresses Outrage Over Loss of Humanitarian Workers
The IFRC conveyed strong condemnation following the retrieval of their medical personnel, who they affirmed were killed while performing their duties in the Gaza Strip. The organization questioned, “When will this stop?” highlighting the urgent need for protection for humanitarian personnel in conflict zones.
“Heartbreaking Loss” – IFRC Secretary General
IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain expressed his distress in a statement, saying, “I am heartbroken. These dedicated ambulance workers were responding to those wounded. They were humanitarians. The emblems they wore should have offered protection; their ambulances were clearly marked. They were expected to return to their families; they did not.”
Ambulances transporting the bodies of Palestinian first responders, killed a week prior in Israeli military fire targeted at ambulance vehicles, arrive at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, on March 30, 2025.
Call for Protection Under International Humanitarian Law
Chapagain emphasized the necessity of protecting civilians, humanitarian workers, and health services under International Humanitarian Law.
“Instead of reiterating calls for all parties to safeguard and respect humanitarians and civilians, I pose a question: when will this end?” Chapagain questioned, urging, “All parties must cease the killings.”
Israeli Military Action and Claims
Earlier in March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced intentions to escalate military operations against Hamas as Israel recommenced strikes in Gaza following a two-month truce.
The Israeli military has acknowledged that its forces opened fire on ambulances. In a statement to AFP this week, the military said that its troops “opened fire toward Hamas vehicles and eliminated several Hamas terrorists.”
The statement further claimed that “a few minutes afterwards, additional vehicles advanced suspiciously toward the troops” and that forces “responded by firing toward the suspicious vehicles.”
Deadliest Attack on Red Cross Personnel in Years
The IFRC reported that the recent incident in Rafah represented the deadliest single attack on its personnel globally since 2017. The total number of PRCS volunteers and staff killed since the initiation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in October 2023 has now reached 30, according to the global federation.
Casualty Toll in Gaza
According to the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, at least 921 individuals have been killed within the Palestinian territory since Israel intensified its large-scale military strikes.