The Israeli army has dismissed a deputy commander and censured a brigade chief over the killing of 14 Gaza medics. The military also admitted that its initial investigation on the incident, based on reports from soldiers on the ground, was false.
Fourteen emergency workers and a United Nations employee were killed on March 23rd after a convoy of Palestinian Red Crescent Society ambulances, a UN car and a fire truck came under fire by soldiers, in a roadside ambush close to the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) investigation, released on Sunday, admitted for the first time that 15 people were killed in the incident, and that soldiers shot at a convoy of ambulances. However, the examination found no evidence “to support claims of execution or that any of the deceased were bound before or after the shooting”.
The army admitted that some of the soldiers involved in the incident gave false testimonies, leading to errors in the IDF spokesperson’s initial statement. Some soldiers initially claimed the vehicles were driving without lights or co-ordination, that one of them was not an ambulance, and that there were only 14 fatalities.
According to the IDF investigation, the soldiers opened fire believing they were facing a threat from enemy forces. The IDF said its investigation found six of the fatalities were Hamas members but produced no evidence. The IDF denied there had been summary executions.
The report stressed the incident took place in what it called a “hostile and dangerous combat zone”, and it noted “poor night visibility”.
The report determined that 14 people were killed in two separate incidents, resulting from a “misunderstanding” by the troops, who believed they were in danger.
A third incident revolved around a shooting at a Palestinian UN vehicle “due to operational errors”, in which one person was killed.
The deputy commander, from the Golani infantry unit, was dismissed for his “partial and inaccurate” report of the incident during the preliminary investigation. The commander of the 14th reserve armoured brigade was formally censured for his “overall responsibility for the incident”, including the management of the scene afterwards.
Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the army chief’s decision to dismiss the deputy commander “a grave mistake”, saying he will regret it.
“Our combat soldiers, who are sacrificing their lives in Gaza, deserve our full support,” he said. “I call on the chief of staff to reverse his decision.”
The Red Cross said the incident was the single most deadly attack on its staff anywhere since 2017.
Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that autopsies of the victims found that most of them died from gunshot wounds to the head or chest. Several of the bodies were missing limbs or other body parts, the reports reviewed by the Times showed. According to the paper, the autopsies indicated that most victims were in medical uniform at the time of the attack and had clearly identifiable reflective markings.
