Video shows Israeli forces firing on Gaza aid workers, Red Crescent says
Relatives mourn during the funeral procession for members of the Palestine Red Crescent and other emergency services who were killed a week earlier by Israeli forces, at Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on March 31, 2025. (AFP Photo)
Newly surfaced video footage obtained by The New York Times and verified by multiple humanitarian organizations shows Israeli forces opening fire on a convoy of clearly marked ambulances and a fire truck in Rafah, southern Gaza, on March 23.
The attack resulted in the deaths of 15 emergency workers, including staff from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Gaza Civil Defense, and a U.N. agency.
The footage, retrieved from the cellphone of a deceased paramedic, shows the convoy with visible Red Crescent emblems and emergency lights activated.
According to the PRCS and United Nations officials, the vehicles were responding to a call for aid in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood when they were directly targeted by Israeli troops.
Video contradicts Israeli military claims
In statements earlier this week, Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said troops “did not randomly attack” ambulances, claiming the vehicles were approaching suspiciously “without headlights or emergency signals.”
However, the video shows ambulances and a fire truck traveling with headlights and flashing emergency lights. The vehicles stop alongside a previously attacked ambulance. Moments later, intense gunfire erupts, lasting several minutes.
One paramedic filming from inside a vehicle is heard reciting the shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith, and saying, “Forgive me, mother. This is the path I chose — to help people,” before the recording ends amid gunfire.
Mass grave and forensic evidence
On March 30, the first day of Ramadan Bayram, the bodies of the aid workers were recovered from a mass grave near Rafah.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed the presence of 15 bodies: eight from the Palestine Red Crescent, six from Gaza Civil Defense, and one from the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Jonathan Whittall, a senior humanitarian officer with OCHA, said, “They were killed one by one. Their bodies were buried in a mass grave while still in uniform and gloves. They were there to save lives.”
Dr. Ahmad Dhair, a forensic pathologist, examined the bodies at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. He reported that four of the five examined aid workers died from multiple gunshot wounds, including to the head and chest. Some bodies showed signs of restraint and blunt trauma.
Red Crescent and UN demand investigation
During a press conference at the United Nations, PRCS President Dr. Younis Alkhatib and Vice President Marwan Jilani presented the video and accompanying forensic evidence. They said it contradicted Israeli claims that the ambulances were used for militant activity.
“Their bodies have been targeted from a very close range,” said Dr. Alkhatib. “Israel did not provide information on their whereabouts for days. They knew exactly where they were because they killed them.”
“Last Saturday, we witnessed one of the darkest moments yet in a conflict that has shocked our common humanity to the core,” Dr. Younis Alkhatib, PRCS President, at the UN Security Council said.
“The voices of Mostafa, Ezzedine, Saleh, Refaat, Mohammed Bahloul, Mohammed Al Heila, Ashraf, and Raed are calling for justice. Can you hear them?,” he added.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called for an independent investigation into what he described as an incident that “raises further concerns over the commission of war crimes by the Israeli military.”
International condemnation
The deaths of the aid workers have drawn widespread condemnation from humanitarian groups and international bodies. Dylan Winder, U.N. representative for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, described the incident as the “deadliest attack on Red Crescent workers since 2017.”
Satellite imagery analyzed by The New York Times shows the convoy was initially visible on the road before being moved and buried.
Later images reveal Israeli bulldozers and excavators at the burial site, suggesting a deliberate attempt to hide the vehicles and bodies.
As of now, one PRCS worker remains missing, and the Israeli military has not clarified whether the individual was detained or killed.
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