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Video Footage Casts Doubt on Israeli Account of Ambulance Attack
Newly emerged mobile phone video appears to challenge the Israeli military’s explanation regarding the fatal shooting of 15 rescue personnel. The incident involved a convoy of ambulances and a fire engine, and the released footage contradicts the initial Israel Defense Forces (IDF) statement. This incident, resulting in the deaths of ambulance workers and firefighters, is now under increased scrutiny due to the video evidence.
Contradictory Evidence Emerges
Published by the New York Times, the video, reportedly captured by a Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) paramedic who perished in the attack, depicts vehicles traveling in the dark. Headlights and emergency signals are clearly active in the footage, recorded in the early hours of March 23rd, moments before the convoy was targeted.
IDF’s Initial Statement
The IDF initially stated that “uncoordinated vehicles were spotted advancing suspiciously toward IDF troops without headlights or emergency signals. Subsequently, IDF troops engaged the suspected vehicles.”
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Witness Testimony Refutes IDF Claim
A paramedic who survived the incident previously stated that the ambulances were distinctly marked and their lights, both internal and external, were operational. This account is further substantiated by the video footage.
The IDF has been asked to comment on the video evidence, which the PRCS has reportedly presented to the UN Security Council.
Details from the Video Footage
The video shows the clearly marked vehicles stopping at the roadside, with emergency lights still flashing. At least two rescue workers, identifiable by their reflective garments, can be seen exiting a vehicle.
The recording, filmed from inside one of the vehicles, reveals a cracked windshield. The sound of gunfire erupts and continues for several minutes, during which the individual filming can be heard reciting prayers. This person is believed to be one of the paramedics killed in the attack.
The footage was recovered from the deceased paramedic’s mobile phone, found after his body was exhumed from a shallow grave a week after the event. The bodies of eight paramedics, six Gaza Civil Defence personnel, and a UN employee were discovered buried in the sand, alongside the wreckage of their vehicles. International organizations faced delays negotiating safe access to the site.
Questions Surround Claims of Militant Presence
Israel asserted that several Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants were killed in the episode, but has not provided any substantiating evidence or further clarification regarding the supposed threat to its forces.
Earlier in the week, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar echoed the military’s version of events, stating, “The IDF did not randomly attack an ambulance.”
Following questions about its account from a surviving paramedic, the IDF committed to investigating the circumstances of the incident.
Paramedic’s Account Contradicts Official Version
Paramedic Munther Abed, in a prior interview, recounted, “Whether day or night, it is the same. External and internal lights are activated. Everything indicates it is an ambulance, a vehicle belonging to the Palestinian Red Crescent. All lights were functioning until the vehicle became the target of direct fire.”
He also denied any connections to militant groups for himself or his team.
“All crews are civilians. We are not affiliated with any militant organization. Our primary mission is to deliver ambulance services and to save lives. Nothing more, nothing less,” he affirmed.
Call for Investigation and Accountability
Speaking at the United Nations, PRCS President Dr. Younis Al-Khatib referenced the video recording, stating, “I heard the voice of one of those team members who was killed. His last words before being shot…’forgive me mum, I just wanted to assist people. I wanted to preserve lives’. It is devastating.”
He demanded “accountability” and an “independent and comprehensive inquiry” into what he termed a “heinous crime.”
One paramedic remains unaccounted for following the March 23rd incident, highlighting the ongoing human cost of the attack on rescue workers.