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Days after a deadly incident in Gaza’s Rafah drew international outrage and shifting narratives undermined the IDF’s credibility, the military has launched an in-depth investigation into the killing of paramedics in the southern Gaza city on Saturday.
The new head of the IDF Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, is personally leading the probe and is expected to present preliminary findings to Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Sunday.
The incident took place on March 23 following the collapse of a ceasefire and the resumption of fighting in Gaza. According to the initial IDF probe, the shooting took place around 4 a.m. and involved ambulances operated by the Red Crescent. Fourteen people were killed and one survivor was located at the scene.
The investigation is examining possible tactical errors by a Golani Brigade unit operating in western Rafah. According to initial findings, the soldiers opened fire from a hidden ambush on a suspected Hamas vehicle after tracking a Hamas police car.
The IDF claims there was no execution of the paramedics or close-range engagement — the shooting allegedly came from a distance, as part of the ambush.
The deputy commander of the Golani battalion reportedly gathered the bodies, covered them with a net to mark the site and requested UN representatives to visit. The IDF said the netting was used to prevent scavengers like dogs and hyenas from reaching the bodies.
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According to the probe, the soldiers felt threatened and believed the ambulances were being used by terrorists to approach their position. They opened fire fearing an imminent attack. Among the 14 killed were six Hamas operatives identified through intelligence, the report said. A remotely piloted drone had warned the unit of four vehicles moving “suspiciously” toward them.
The IDF acknowledged the optics of the event were damaging, admitting that the ambulances “were crushed” after a bulldozer was brought in to clear them from the road. The unit had reported a successful ambush following the incident.
The deaths of the paramedics, whom the UN says were killed in an Israeli strike and buried in a mass grave, have continued to draw heavy coverage in international media. On Saturday, The Guardian published interviews with relatives of some of the aid workers, who expressed deep sorrow over their deaths.
A video released overnight by The New York Times, filmed by one of the paramedics, appears to contradict the IDF’s initial claim that soldiers opened fire on vehicles “approaching suspiciously without headlights or emergency signals.” In the footage, Red Crescent ambulances and a firetruck are seen with emergency lights flashing seconds before heavy gunfire erupts.