Israeli army admits mistakenly killing 15 medics near Rafah

(Patria) - The Israeli army (IDF) admitted that its soldiers mistakenly killed 15 medics near Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on March 23.

An ambulance convoy of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), a UN vehicle, and a Civil Defense fire truck came under fire at the time.

Israel initially claimed that soldiers opened fire because the convoy was approaching "suspiciously" in the dark without lights or sirens. The IDF stated that the movement of the vehicles was not coordinated or agreed upon with the army.

However, footage from a mobile phone found on one of the killed medics shows that the vehicles, after calls for help from injured individuals, were moving with their lights on.

The IDF still claims that at least six medics were linked to Hamas, but has not provided any evidence to support this.

The fact remains, however, that when the soldiers opened fire, the medics were unarmed.

A five-minute video also shows medic Rafat Radwan and he can be heard reciting his last prayer before Israeli soldiers approached the vehicle.

An IDF official informed journalists on Saturday evening that soldiers had previously opened fire on a car carrying three Hamas members.

When the ambulances approached the area where the soldiers were, they were informed via air surveillance monitors that a "suspicious" convoy was approaching.

According to the IDF, the ambulances stopped behind a Hamas SUV, and the soldiers assumed they were under threat and opened fire, despite not determining that the medical team was armed.

Israel has since determined that the vehicles were moving with their lights on, and the mobile phone footage shows they were marked and the medics were wearing reflective vests.

The soldiers buried the 15 bodies in the sand to protect them from wild animals, and the vehicles were removed the next day to clear the road, according to the Israeli official.

A week later, a humanitarian organization's team excavated the bodies and found Radwan's mobile phone with footage of the incident.

The IDF strongly denies claims that any of the medics were handcuffed or that they were not killed at close range, as stated in some reports.

A surviving medic told the BBC that the vehicles had their lights on and that his colleagues were not affiliated with any group – neither Hamas nor Islamic Jihad.

The IDF has announced a "thorough" investigation, while the Red Crescent and other international organizations are calling for an independent investigation.