Israeli military says there was a “mistake” over the shooting of 15 Palestinian medics in Gaza, after release of phone footage that contradicts its earlier versions.
The medics, members of the Red Crescent and Civil Defense forces, were killed on Saturday in Tel al-Sultan in Rafah during an Israeli incursion. The police said the cars were a threat, moving off “without any emergency lights.” But a video taken by one of the dead medics, recovered later by U.N. workers, shows sirens wailing and lights flashing as the vehicles drove toward an ambulence that had been attacked previously.
The film, provided to the U.N. Security Council, shows when the convoy was attacked with gunfire that lasted over five minutes. Before the screen goes black, the medic on film can be heard praying.
An Israeli official acknowledged that the initial statement was wrong and said that the incident is under review. In the meantime, the Palestinian Red Crescent has called for an international-independent investigation, claiming lack of faith in Israeli inquests.
One medic is still missing last seen being arrested by Israeli soldiers. The military said it had attacked militants and identified Mohammed Amin Shobaki as among the dead though none of the victims matched that name.
More than 150 emergency responders have been killed in the war, according to the U.N., which condemned the attack and reiterated the murdered medics’ humanitarian status.
