Nearly a month after Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers were killed in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army has admitted that the military made mistakes. According to an investigation report released by the Israel Defence Forces on 20 April, the 23 March shelling of ambulances and Palestinian rescue services in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah was the result of “an operational misunderstanding”. As a result, the military mistakenly believed that it had been subjected to a “tangible threat from enemy forces”.
The inspection also revealed “several professional errors, violations of orders and an incomplete incident report,” the IDF said. The investigation recommended disciplinary action. The deputy commander of the reconnaissance battalion who led the operation during the incident will be dismissed. His superior, the brigade commander, will receive a reprimand with a note in his personnel file.
“The Israel Defence Forces regrets the harm caused to civilians not involved,” the statement said. It is claimed, however, that six of the 15 dead were members of the radical group Hamas (recognised as a terrorist group in the US and EU), with which Israel is at war. It is claimed that they were paramedics or rescue workers.
After reports of the rescuers’ deaths drew condemnation from many countries around the world and international organisations, Israel claimed that the rescue vehicles were not marked and were driving without lights. However, the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS) soon allegedly found the mobile phone of one of the medics killed. The video he recorded captured that the vehicles were marked as rescue vehicles and were travelling with lights. Israel has since announced an investigation. It notes that the Israeli military did not seek to cover up what had happened.