Israeli probe into killing of 15 Palestinian medics finds 'professional failures'

The Israeli military has said an "operational misunderstanding" and a "breach of orders" led to the killing of 15 emergency workers in Gaza last month.

An inquiry into the incident by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) found a series of failings.

The deputy commander of the unit involved has been dismissed "for providing an incomplete and inaccurate report during the debrief".

Fourteen emergency workers and a UN worker were killed on 23 March after a convoy of Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulances, a UN car and a fire truck came under fire by the Israeli military.

In a statement, the IDF said its troops opened fire believing they were facing a threat from enemy forces.

The IDF said its investigation found six of the casualties were Hamas members, and rejected that there had been summary executions.

It did not produce evidence for any affiliation to Hamas, despite the names of those killed being in the public domain.

The report said the incident took place in what it called a "hostile and dangerous combat zone", and that the commander on the ground perceived an immediate and tangible threat after vehicles approached rapidly.

It blamed "poor night visibility", which the IDF said meant the commander did not identify the vehicles as ambulances.

Israel had originally claimed troops opened fire because the convoy approached "suspiciously" in darkness without headlights or flashing lights. It said movement of the vehicles had not been previously co-ordinated or agreed with the army.

But it later said that account was "mistaken" after a video found on the mobile phone of a medic who was killed showed the vehicles with their lights on and their emergency signals flashing.

The footage shows the vehicles pulling up on the road when shooting begins just before dawn.

The video continues for more than five minutes, with the paramedic saying his last prayers before the voices of Israeli soldiers are heard approaching the vehicles.

It also shows the vehicles were clearly marked and the paramedics wearing reflective hi-vis uniform.

The bodies of the 15 dead workers were buried in sand and not uncovered until a week after the incident because international agencies, including the UN, could not organise safe passage to the area or locate the spot.

The Red Crescent and several other international organisations have previously called for an independent investigation into the incident.

The IDF's decision to fire a commander and discipline another senior officer is not unheard of - the military dismissed two officers and took action against others after seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen were killed in April of last year.

Israel launched its first major operation in Rafah in May 2024, leaving large parts of it in ruins. Tens of thousands of people returned to what was left of their homes in the city during a recent two-month-long ceasefire.

Israel renewed its offensive in Gaza on 18 March after the first phase of the ceasefire deal came to an end and negotiations on a second phase of the deal stalled.

Israel launched its campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 51,201 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.