Gaza, Palestine — April 5, 2025
DaysofPal – A shocking video retrieved from the phone of a slain paramedic has surfaced, revealing the exact moment Israeli forces opened fire on emergency crews in the Al-Sultan neighborhood, west of Rafah in southern Gaza — a development that starkly contradicts the Israeli occupation’s version of the incident.
The footage, discovered on the device of a first responder buried in a mass grave along with 14 other humanitarian workers, was captured during the deadly Israeli assault on March 23. It offers harrowing visual and audio evidence of a targeted attack on clearly marked medical teams.
The video shows ambulances belonging to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and Civil Defense teams, visibly marked with medical insignia and flashing emergency lights, as they arrive to aid the wounded.
Moments after the medics step out of their vehicles to assist the injured, gunfire erupts — rapid and relentless. The sound of bullets is unmistakable, followed by the voice of a medic reciting the Islamic declaration of faith, a final act before death.
This revelation comes just days after the Israeli occupation army claimed it did not fire on ambulances indiscriminately, stating that some vehicles had approached “suspiciously” without emergency signals.
However, the footage — verified by The New York Times and obtained from a senior United Nations diplomat who requested anonymity — tells a different story.
Sole Survivor Speaks
A Palestinian paramedic, the only known survivor of the execution-style assault, described the horrific events in a video circulated on social media. He recalled receiving an urgent distress call at dawn from the Al-Hashashin area, prompting him and two colleagues — Ezzedine Shaat and Mustafa Khafaja — to respond immediately in a clearly identified ambulance.
“As soon as we turned onto Maraj Street, gunfire erupted from multiple directions — left and right,” he said. “It felt like every bullet was hitting me. The sound of gunshots above my head was deafening. I felt death in that moment.”
He managed to flee the driver’s cabin and hide in the back of the ambulance. “I didn’t hear anything from Ezz or Mustafa. Then, everything went dark and quiet… I heard the sound of someone gasping for their last breath — and that was it.”
Moments later, Israeli soldiers approached. They pulled him from the vehicle, forced him face-down in the dirt, and beat him. “They pressed my head into the ground, pointed a rifle at my back, and kicked me in the chest and legs,” he said.
An elderly man and his son who happened to be passing by were also detained, their hands tied, and forced to sit beside him.
Escalating Horror
The survivor recalled that another Civil Defense vehicle soon arrived carrying a fire extinguisher. “The moment it appeared, they opened fire. I didn’t see anyone get out of the vehicle. I don’t know what happened to them.”
Two more ambulances arrived shortly afterward. The same fate awaited them. “They fired directly at the ambulances despite the visible medical emblems and blaring sirens,” he said. “They intended to kill us — they didn’t care about the Red Crescent or the sirens. Nothing mattered.”
As daylight broke, Israeli tanks began advancing from Al-Tayaran Street, completely surrounding the area. “We were boxed in — right at the bend between Al-Shakoush and Al-Qadisiyya streets,” he recalled.
He was later transferred to another location, where a massive pit had been prepared. “All the ambulances were lined up, some covered in blood, some not. I didn’t see any of my colleagues.”
He witnessed a bulldozer dig a deep trench. “They dumped all the ambulances on top of each other and buried them under sand.”
Still unaware of his colleagues’ fate, he was eventually moved to another trench where he saw fellow medic Saad Al-Masassra, hands bound. “I immediately asked about the others,” he said.
Saad told him that Saleh Ma’mar had been critically wounded, his body riddled with bullets. “I don’t know if he survived,” he said. “Mohammad Al-Heila was lying beside him, reciting his final prayers. Raed Al-Sharif was also injured. Rifaa Radwan was praying, too.”
When asked about Ezzedine and Mustafa, the survivor replied, “All I heard from them were their final breaths. I don’t know if they were killed, detained, or somehow survived.”
Deliberate Massacre
Satellite images broadcast by Al Jazeera confirmed that Israeli forces had surrounded and immobilized at least five ambulances belonging to the Red Crescent and Civil Defense in western Rafah, preventing rescuers from reaching trapped and wounded civilians amid ongoing bombardments.
After eight days of searching, rescue teams recovered the bodies of 14 humanitarian workers from under the rubble in Tel Al-Sultan on March 30.
Evidence showed they had been summarily executed and buried on site by Israeli bulldozers — a crime described as one of the most heinous attacks on humanitarian personnel to date.
Ongoing War Crimes
The massacre in Rafah is part of a broader campaign that has entered its 19th consecutive day since the Israeli occupation resumed its ground invasion on March 18.
According to the latest figures released by the Palestinian Ministry of Health on Friday, at least 1,249 people have been killed and 3,022 wounded since the resumption of hostilities.
Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli assault on Gaza has left more than 50,609 Palestinians dead and 115,063 injured — the vast majority of them civilians, including women and children.
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