DaysofPal- An independent joint inquiry has found that Israeli forces discharged close to 1,000 rounds at emergency vehicles and humanitarian personnel during a deadly assault on aid workers in Rafah last year, with the bulk of the gunfire occurring within the first minutes.
The investigation, carried out by the research groups Earshot and Forensic Architecture, drew on witness accounts alongside audio and video analysis.
Researchers said several shots were fired from extremely short distances, including at least one from roughly one meter away, suggesting that some victims may have been killed at point-blank range.
The attack took place on March 23, 2025, when Israeli forces targeted a convoy of first responders, killing eight members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, six personnel from the Palestinian Civil Defense, and one employee of the UNRWA.
Four days later, teams from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs were granted access to the location, where they found wrecked ambulances, UN vehicles, and a fire truck, many partially covered by debris.
A civil defense worker’s body was discovered beneath the damaged fire engine before the search was suspended due to safety concerns.
A follow-up inspection on March 30 involving OCHA officials and Red Crescent personnel uncovered a burial site near the destroyed vehicles containing the remains of eight Red Crescent workers, five civil defense members, and one UN staffer.
The killings prompted widespread global condemnation. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies described the incident as the deadliest attack on aid workers in nearly ten years.
Researchers concluded the convoy was subjected to a coordinated ambush lasting more than two hours, despite no indication that Israeli forces were under attack at the time.
Audio evidence recorded at least 910 shots, including 844 fired in roughly five and a half minutes.
Investigators estimated that about 93 percent of those early rounds were directed specifically at the emergency vehicles and personnel.
Gunfire appeared to originate from at least five shooters simultaneously, while witness testimony suggested as many as 30 soldiers were present at the scene.
According to the report, troops initially positioned themselves on a sand embankment offering a clear vantage point. Emergency lights and humanitarian insignia were visible, yet firing reportedly continued as soldiers advanced toward the vehicles, with some victims shot at very close range.
Investigators also documented extensive bulldozing at the scene after the attack, which substantially changed the landscape.
Subsequent developments reportedly included construction of a security corridor in southern Gaza and the establishment of an aid distribution center run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, said to be supported by Israel and the United States.
Al-Mundhir Abed, identified as the lone survivor and a Red Crescent volunteer, said he saw ambulances come under intense fire.
On April 6, 2025, video taken on the phone of paramedic Rifaat Radwan surfaced, capturing the moments before he and colleagues were killed.
The footage reportedly shows ambulance lights and emergency signals activated at the time.
After the video and other material emerged, Israeli officials said the incident was undergoing a “thorough and comprehensive” review.
A later internal military investigation ended without recommending criminal charges.
Katherine Gallagher of the Center for Constitutional Rights said the case appears “extensively documented” across multiple corroborating sources and described the findings as deeply troubling.
Human rights groups including Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights labeled the incident a massacre under international humanitarian law, a term generally used for the deliberate killing of unarmed civilians who pose no immediate threat.
The report is expected to intensify international scrutiny of military operations in Gaza and renew calls for an independent inquiry into the attack.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=72471
