The Attack on Emergency Workers in Rafah

On March 23, 2025, Israeli forces killed 15 Palestinian medics and aid workers in Rafah, southern Gaza. The victims included paramedics from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), civil defense workers, and at least one United Nations employee. All were on a rescue mission to save fellow emergency responders who had gone missing earlier that day.

According to verified reports and video footage, the group had entered Tel al-Sultan, a district in Rafah, in clearly marked ambulances and emergency vehicles with sirens and lights on. As they arrived at the location of the initial incident, Israeli ground forces opened fire on them.

Footage recovered from the body of one of the medics shows sustained gunfire hitting their convoy. Satellite imagery and forensic investigation later revealed that the 15 workers were shot, one by one, and buried in a shallow mass grave. Several bodies showed signs of close-range execution.

The PRCS stated that these workers were deliberately targeted despite their vehicles being clearly marked and their mission being humanitarian in nature. The United Nations corroborated this version of events, adding that its own staffer was among the dead.

Israel’s Reversal Under Scrutiny

The Israeli military first claimed the vehicles approached “in a suspicious manner” and lacked identifying signals, prompting troops to open fire. However, this was swiftly contradicted by video evidence from the medics’ own phones and nearby cameras, which clearly showed the ambulances with flashing emergency lights and insignia.

In a rare reversal, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later admitted their initial account was mistaken. A spokesperson said the military was launching an internal investigation, but provided no timeline or guarantee of transparency.

Israeli media coverage of the incident was minimal at first. Outlets like The Times of Israel and Haaretz covered the IDF’s statement but did not publish the video evidence. International pressure escalated following reports by The Guardian, AP, and UN agencies.

Global Calls for Accountability

Humanitarian organizations and foreign governments quickly condemned the killings. Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UNRWA, described it as a “cold-blooded killing of humanitarian workers” and called for an international investigation.

Australia, Ireland, Norway, and South Africa were among the first to call for accountability, demanding an independent international probe. The PRCS labeled the attack a war crime and asked the International Criminal Court to intervene.

The mass grave was exhumed by local authorities under UN observation. The bodies showed signs of gunshots to the head and chest, consistent with execution. Their GPS trackers, still active, showed no aggressive movements toward Israeli positions, further discrediting the IDF’s claims.