Importance Score: 75 / 100 🔴
Israel releases Palestinian medical responder detained after deadly attack on emergency crews
The Israel Defense Forces has freed a Palestinian paramedic who had been apprehended when Israeli soldiers fatally shot 15 other medical personnel in southern Gaza last month, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) announced.
Assad al-Nassasra vanished for approximately a month before the International Committee of the Red Cross received intelligence that he was being held in Israeli captivity.
According to reports, he was among 10 individuals released at an Israeli border checkpoint with Gaza on Tuesday.
The Israeli military has remained silent on the matter, although it earlier confirmed detaining Mr. Nassasra during a briefing on an internal investigation into the deadly strike. This inquiry cited “several operational failures.”
The PRCS denounced the findings, labeling them an effort to legitimize what they described as “a war crime.”
Deadly Strike on Emergency Responders
Eight PRCS paramedics, six rescue workers from Gaza’s Civil Defense agency, and one staff member of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) lost their lives when their ambulances, fire truck, and UN vehicle were attacked in the Tal al-Sultan area of Rafah during an emergency callout early on March 23.
Their remains were discovered buried in shallow graves near the wreckage a week later.
Another PRCS paramedic survived and reportedly said he was let go by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) after being seized alongside Mr. Nassasra.
Initial Military Account and Subsequent Revelations
Initially, the Israeli military stated that its soldiers fired upon “suspicious vehicles” driving in darkness without headlights or emergency signals.
However, it later retracted this account after a video found on the cell phone of Rifaat Radwan, a deceased paramedic who was in the same ambulance as Mr. Nassasra, revealed that the convoy was utilizing emergency lights.
The video depicted the ambulances pulling off to the side of the road, followed by gunfire. Paramount, Radwan’s voice reciting final prayers could be heard before Israeli soldiers’ voices approached.
On April 20, the military presented a summary of its internal review, attributing the shooting of 14 PRCS and Civil Defense workers to “an operational misunderstanding” by troops of a reconnaissance unit who perceived a genuine threat.
Concerning UNRWA staff, the review stated that their death involved “a breach of orders amidst combat.”
The IDF announced the dismissal of the deputy commander of the reconnaissance battalion, citing his supervisory role in the encounter and his submission of an incomplete and erroneous report during the debriefing.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society labeled the report a display of Israel’s “policy of systematic truth distortion” aimed at shielding soldiers from accountability.
It further asserted, “The occupying force‘s investigation echoes baseless accusations that rescue teams in Gaza are affiliated with Hamas, aimed at justifying the war crimes of targeting medical missions and attacking teams and vehicles emblazoned with the Geneva Conventions’ protected symbols.”
A senior UN humanitarian official warned that a lack of genuine accountability weakens international law and escalates global dangers.
Israel-Hamas Conflict
The Israel Defense Forces initiated an offensive targeting Hamas and its associates in response to an unprecedented cross-border assault on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 individuals perished and 251 were abducted.
- The death toll currently stands at over 52,365, as per the Hamas-governed health ministry in Gaza.
- More than 2,270 people have died since Israel restarted its offensive in Gaza on March 18.
- The ceasefire, which had lasted over two months before its collapse, led to mounting pressure from Israel to secure the release of the 59 hostages still held by Hamas.
Strikes and Humanitarian Concerns
Palestinian media reported that at least six individuals were killed in Israeli airstrikes and artillery bombardment across Gaza City and northern areas, including three victims in Al-Shaaf.
Additionally, four individuals were reportedly slain in strikes targeting tents housing displaced persons in the southern Al-Mawasi vicinity, near the city of Khan Younis.
Israel has obstructed all humanitarian aid and supplies from entering Gaza since March 2, causing severe shortages of food, medicine, and fuel, according to the UN.
On Tuesday, the UN’s human rights chief implored the global community to prevent the collapse of essential aid to Gaza”>
“Any deliberate starvation of the civilian population as a strategy of war constitutes a war crime, as do all forms of collective punishment, ” Volker Türk cautioned.
Israel asserts it is adhering to international law, citing no scarcity of aid provoked by 25,000 truckloads entering Gaza during the recent truce.
Israel has also alleged Hamas is pilfering supply provisions, an accusation the group denies.