The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, on Monday called for “justice and answers” after Israeli forces killed eight Palestinian medics, six civil defence first responders and a UN staff member in an attack in Southern Gaza.
On March 23, humanitarian workers from various organisations were attacked while collecting injured people in Rafah, Southern Gaza.
They came under fire from Israeli forces who were advancing in the area, Jonathan Whittall, the UN aid coordination office’s, OCHA, top official in the Palestinian Occupied Territory stated in a post on X.
Whittall reported that on the day of the incident, five ambulances, a fire truck, and a marked UN vehicle were struck by Israeli fire. Subsequently, contact was lost with the teams.
“One survivor said Israeli forces had killed crew in his ambulance. OCHA coordinated efforts to access the site, and permission was granted five days later, according to Whittall.
When UN staff then travelled to the area, they encountered hundreds of civilians fleeing under Israeli fire.
“We witnessed a woman shot in the back of the head. When a young man tried to retrieve her, he too was shot. We were able to recover her body using our UN vehicle,” he added.
He said aid workers were finally able to reach the site on Sunday, discovering “a devastating scene: ambulances, the UN vehicle, and a fire truck had been crushed and partially buried.
“After hours of digging, we recovered one body – a civil defence worker beneath his fire truck.”
The Palestine Red Crescent Society – part of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies – expressed outrage on Sunday over the deaths, adding that a ninth staff member is still missing.
“These dedicated ambulance workers were responding to wounded people…They wore emblems that should have protected them; their ambulances were clearly marked.
“They should have returned to their families: they did not,” IFRC Secretary General, Jagan Chapagain, said.
“Even in the most complex conflict zones, there are rules,” he added. “These rules of International Humanitarian Law could not clearer – civilians must be protected; humanitarians must be protected. Health services must be protected.”
The incident represents the deadliest attack on Red Crescent Red Cross workers since 2017.
Israeli forces said the emergency responders had been fired on after their vehicles “advanced suspiciously,” according to news reports, adding that a Hamas operative had been killed along with “eight other terrorists.”
The attack occurred following the collapse of the fragile two-month ceasefire between Israeli forces and Hamas militants on March 18.
On Monday, Israel issued a new mass evacuation order for the whole of the Rafah region.
OCHA’s Jonathan Whittall reiterated on Sunday that first responders should never be a target.
“Today, on the first day of Eid, we returned and recovered the buried bodies…They were killed in their uniforms. Driving their clearly marked vehicles. Wearing their gloves. On their way to save lives. This should never have happened,” he stated.
The UN Humanitarian Affairs chief, Tom Fletcher, on Monday send condolences to the families of all who had been killed.
“They were killed by Israeli forces while trying to save lives. We demand answers and justice,” he said.
NAN
