Israel brutally executed medical, civil defense teams in Rafa: Gaza Media Office
First responders embrace each other at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on March 30, 2025 as the bodies of Palestinian first responders who were killed a week before in Israeli military fire on ambulances arrive at the facility. (AFP Photo)
The Gaza Media Office on Saturday accused the Israeli military of the “brutal and unprecedented” execution of medical and civil defense teams in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah on March 23.
The statement followed the release of video footage retrieved from the phone of a Palestinian paramedic, who was later found dead in a mass grave along with 14 colleagues.
All were reportedly killed by Israel while performing humanitarian duties.
Gaza: Video evidence disproves Israeli claims
According to the Gaza media office, the footage “completely disproves the Israeli occupation’s false and misleading narrative” that the ambulances approached “suspiciously” without clear signals.
Officials said the video exposed “the lies of the Israeli military.”
Calling the incident “another crime added to the occupation’s black record,” the office condemned the attack as a flagrant violation of international conventions and held the global community responsible for its silence.
New documentation of the occupation’s crime of executing relief crews requires accelerating mechanisms to stop the genocide and hold the occupation accountable
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates affirms that the video clip published by an American newspaper regarding the deliberate execution of 15 relief and ambulance workers by Israeli occupation forces on March 23 in Rafah refutes the occupation’s claims that it did not randomly attack the ambulances and did not identify them, claiming they lacked emergency lights or signals.
The Ministry considers this fully fledged crime to be part of the war of genocide and displacement against our people, and it reveals the brutality of the daily crimes committed by the occupation forces against Palestinian civilians and humanitarian, UN, medical, and journalistic crews, with the aim of intimidating them and preventing them from providing any assistance to our people in the Gaza Strip.
This is done with the aim of eliminating all forms and components of life and transforming the Strip into a land unfit for human life, thus forcing the forced displacement of Palestinian citizens.
The Ministry reaffirms its continued intensive efforts to expose the occupation’s crimes before international institutions, especially the Security Council, the Human Rights Council, and other platforms, to push for the activation of accountability mechanisms for the occupation’s crimes, to achieve redress for our victims, to achieve justice, and to demand serious international action that rises to the level of responsibilities imposed by international law.
Gaza Foreign Ministry
The statement demanded an “independent international investigation” into the killings and called for truth-finding missions to examine the targeted sites and mass graves, where Israel is accused of “concealing the horrors of its ongoing genocide.”
It also urged immediate protection for humanitarian workers in Gaza.
Israeli military says strike targeted militants
On March 31, the Israeli army stated the strike was deliberate and claimed it killed nine members of Hamas and other groups.
However, on March 30, the Palestine Red Crescent Society reported the recovery of 15 bodies from the site.
Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal said some victims were found with hands and feet bound, and with bullet wounds to the head and torso—indicating execution at close range.
One individual was reportedly decapitated, and others dismembered.
Gaza death toll rises amid continued strikes
The Gaza Health Ministry announced that the death toll from Israeli military operations since October 2023 has reached 50,669, with 115,225 injured.
At least 60 Palestinians were killed and 162 injured in the last 24 hours alone, the ministry said. Many victims remain under rubble or in inaccessible areas due to ongoing bombardment.
Israel remains under international legal scrutiny. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, citing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Tel Aviv also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.
Over 17,000 children killed in Gaza, Education Ministry reports
On Palestinian Children’s Day, the Education Ministry stated that more than 17,000 children have been killed in Gaza since October 2023.
“Education in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, is under direct attack by the Israeli occupation,” the ministry said, citing the destruction of schools and barriers to safe learning. Children in Gaza, Jerusalem, and Area C of the occupied West Bank are affected daily by the ongoing war.
Despite the conditions, the ministry noted that children in Gaza continue to pursue education as a path to hope.
