Palestine Red Crescent Releases Video Allegedly Showing Israeli Forces Targeting First Responders

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has released mobile phone footage that it says proves Israeli forces deliberately targeted a convoy of emergency vehicles in Gaza on March 23, killing 15 humanitarian workers, despite their vehicles being clearly marked and illuminated.

The video, captured by a now-deceased Palestinian paramedic, shows ambulances and a fire truck traveling with headlights and emergency lights on. Several rescuers in reflective gear are visible, and one can be heard saying: “Forgive me, mother. I just wanted to help people. I wanted to save lives.” The video ends as gunfire erupts and the paramedic is killed.

Among the dead were eight PRCS paramedics, six Gaza Civil Defense personnel, and one UN staff member. PRCS officials say Israeli forces later buried the victims and their vehicles in a mass grave. The phone containing the footage was found on one of the recovered bodies.

Initially, the Israeli military denied that the vehicles were marked or had emergency signals activated at the time of the incident. However, the video, played during a press conference at the UN headquarters by PRCS President Dr. Younis Al-Khatib, appears to contradict those claims.

Paramedic Munther Abed, a survivor of the attack, also disputed Israeli claims that militants were among the group, saying: “We are civilians. We don’t belong to any armed faction. Our job is to save lives—nothing else.”

Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, called for accountability: “Our dead colleagues were still wearing their Red Crescent vests. In life, those uniforms signaled protection. In death, they became shrouds.”