Gaza Strip, April 5, 2025 – A chilling video surfaced Saturday, capturing the moment Israeli forces opened fire on a convoy of clearly marked ambulances and a fire truck in southern Gaza, killing 15 rescue workers on March 23. Medics from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) say the footage, filmed by a paramedic who died in the attack, contradicts Israel’s claim that the vehicles were “suspicious” and lacked emergency signals, exposing a deadly assault on humanitarian crews in Rafah’s al-Hashashin area.
The Footage Tells the Tale
The nearly seven-minute video, obtained by outlets like The New York Times and verified by Sky News, starts inside a moving PRCS ambulance. Headlights illuminate the dark road, and flashing red emergency lights on the convoy—three ambulances, a fire truck, and a UN vehicle—signal their humanitarian mission. “All lights were on,” surviving paramedic Munther Abed told the BBC, refuting the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) assertion that the vehicles approached troops without illumination or coordination.
As the convoy slows near a stranded vehicle, gunfire erupts. The windshield shatters, and the camera jolts as paramedic Rifat Radwan, who recorded the footage, exits and falls. For five minutes, shots ring out as he recites a prayer—“There is no god but Allah”—before his voice fades. The phone, recovered with his body from a mass grave on March 30, reveals what medics call a deliberate attack. “They targeted us in cold blood,” PRCS spokesperson Raed al-Nimis told AP, noting the vehicles’ clear markings and emblems.
A Deadly Sequence
The incident unfolded in the pre-dawn hours of March 23, after Israeli forces resumed their Gaza offensive on March 18, shattering a two-month ceasefire. A PRCS ambulance was first dispatched to aid civilians wounded by shelling in Rafah, only to come under fire, injuring its crew. Three more ambulances, a fire truck, and a UN vehicle followed to rescue them, per Al Jazeera. “One by one, they were hit,” said Jonathan Whittall of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), who later documented the scene.
The 15 killed—eight PRCS medics, six Civil Defence responders, and one UNRWA staffer—were found in a sandy mass grave, some with hands tied, per The Guardian. Dr. Ahmad Dheir, a forensic pathologist at Nasser Medical Center, examined 13 bodies and told NBC News several had gunshot wounds to the head and chest, suggesting close-range execution. One paramedic, Assad al-Nassasra, remains missing, with Abed recalling their detention together, blindfolded and cuffed, before he was released.
Israel’s Account vs. the Evidence
The IDF initially claimed the vehicles advanced “suspiciously” toward troops without headlights or signals, alleging they killed a Hamas operative, Mohammad Amin Shubaki, and eight other “terrorists,” per Reuters. Yet, no victim matches Shubaki’s name, and the video’s flashing lights and insignia shred Israel’s narrative. “Everything tells you it’s an ambulance,” Abed told the BBC. Facing the footage, the IDF told The Times Saturday the incident is “under thorough examination,” a shift from earlier denials.
PRCS President Dr. Younis Al-Khatib, speaking at the UN Friday, played the video, quoting Radwan’s last words: “Forgive me, Mum, I just wanted to save lives.” He called it an “atrocious crime” under international law, demanding accountability. Posts on X echo the outrage: “IDF lies exposed—ambulances lit up, still slaughtered,” one user wrote.
A Broader Toll
The attack, the deadliest on Red Cross workers since 2017, per the IFRC, pushes Gaza’s humanitarian death toll to 1,060 healthcare workers since October 2023, per UN figures. “They wore emblems that should have protected them,” IFRC chief Jagan Chapagain said. As Trump’s tariffs crash markets and Myanmar digs out from its quake, Gaza’s medics face a war where even rescue is a death sentence. For now, the video stands as damning testimony—Israel’s “examination” pending, justice a distant hope.
If you’d like me to analyze the video further (hypothetically, since I can’t view it) or dig into a specific angle—like the IDF’s response or the legal implications—let me know! What’s your next question?
