A video showing the moment 15 aid workers were killed in Gaza last month. It clearly showed Gazan ambulances and fire department symbols when Israeli soldiers opened fire at them.
According to Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the bodies of 15 aid workers, including eight medics from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), six civil defence workers, and one UN staff member, were discovered in a “mass grave” after the incident.
The Israeli military initially said their investigation found that the vehicles had no headlights or emergency signals, which made them seem “suspicious” and led to the attack. However, video footage from the PRCS, confirmed by Sky News, shows ambulances and a fire truck clearly marked and flashing red lights.
Sky News used video taken after the incident and satellite images to confirm where and when the footage was recorded. The video was shot on 23 March, north of Rafah, and shows a group of clearly marked ambulances and a fire truck driving south toward the city center, all with their lights flashing.
It was recorded early in the morning, and a satellite image taken at 9:48am that same day shows a cluster of vehicles off the road in that area. The PRCS had posted that it lost contact with its teams just before 7am local time.
Another satellite image from 26 March, three days later, shows tire tracks and signs of activity likely caused by military vehicles.
The video begins from inside a moving vehicle, showing a convoy through the windshield , including ambulances and a fire truck with flashing emergency lights. When the convoy comes to a stop, one of the vehicles is seen veering off to the left side of the road.
As the vehicle halts, aid workers start to get out, and then heavy gunfire suddenly erupts and lasts for about five minutes.
The paramedic recording the video can be heard speaking in Arabic, saying that Israeli forces are nearby and reciting a prayer often said before death. Voices speaking Hebrew are also heard in the background, though what they are saying isn’t clear.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Saturday 30 March that it is conducting a “thorough examination” into the killing of 15 aid workers in Gaza, following the emergence of video evidence that appears to contradict earlier military statements.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) responded by revealing that the video in question was recovered from the phone of EMT Rif’at Radwan, whose body was recently found. The footage, according to the PRCS, clearly shows that both the ambulances and fire trucks involved were visibly marked and had flashing emergency lights on at the time of the attack.
“This video unequivocally refutes the occupation’s claims that Israeli forces did not randomly target ambulances, and that some vehicles had approached ‘suspiciously without lights or emergency markings’,” PRCS said to Sky News.
At the United Nations on Friday, Dr. Younis Al Khatib, president of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), delivered an emotional statement about one of the aid workers killed in Gaza. He revealed that the worker had recorded the attack on his phone, which was later found alongside his body.
Dr. Al Khatib said he listened to the recording himself, describing the victim’s final words before being shot: “Forgive me, mom. I just wanted to help people. I wanted to save lives.”
Dylan Winder, the permanent observer for the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), condemned the incident, stating that even in the most challenging conflict zones, there are clear rules under international humanitarian law, stating that civilians, humanitarian workers, and medical services must be protected at all times.
The initial statement from the Israeli military did not specifically mention the deaths of the aid workers. Instead, it reported that several members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad were killed during the incident and criticized what it described as the repeated use of civilian infrastructure by terrorist groups in Gaza.
The military also stated that there was an active evacuation order in place in the area at the time, meaning any vehicles on the move were not allowed.
The bodies of the missing aid workers were eventually discovered buried in the sand in southern Gaza, in what Jonathan Whittall described as a “mass grave.” A crushed ambulance’s emergency light was used to mark the site.
According to the United Nations, at least 1,060 healthcare workers have been killed in the 18 months since Israel initiated its military offensive in Gaza, which began after Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023. In response to escalating safety concerns, the UN has announced plans to reduce its international staff in Gaza by approximately one-third.
As of late March 2025, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that over 50,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 113,000 wounded since the onset of the conflict. It’s important to note that these figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
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