A video, found on the cellphone of a paramedic who was discovered together with 14 different assist staff in a mass grave within the Gaza in late March, reveals that the ambulances and hearth truck that they had been touring in had been clearly marked and had their emergency sign lights on when Israeli troops hit them with a barrage of gunfire.
Officers from the Palestine Crimson Crescent Society mentioned in a information convention on Friday on the United Nations moderated by the Worldwide Federation of Crimson Cross and Crimson Crescent Societies that that they had offered the practically seven-minute recording, which was obtained by The New York Occasions, to the U.N. Safety Council.
An Israeli navy spokesman, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, mentioned earlier this week that Israeli forces didn’t “randomly assault” an ambulance, however that a number of automobiles “had been recognized advancing suspiciously” with out headlights or emergency alerts towards Israeli troops, prompting them to shoot. Colonel Shoshani mentioned earlier within the week that 9 of these killed had been Palestinian militants. Israel didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon the video.
The Occasions obtained the video from a senior diplomat on the United Nations who requested to not be recognized to have the ability to share delicate data.
The Occasions verified the placement and timing of the video, which was taken within the metropolis of southern metropolis of Rafah early on March 23. Filmed from what seems to be the entrance inside of a transferring automobile, it reveals a convoy of ambulances and a fireplace truck, clearly marked, with headlights and flashing lights turned on, driving south on a street to the north of Rafah within the early morning. The primary rays of solar could be seen, and birds are chirping.
The convoy stops when it encounters a automobile that had veered onto the aspect of the street — one ambulance had been despatched earlier to assist wounded civilians and had come beneath assault. The brand new rescue automobiles detour to the aspect of the street.
Rescue staff, a minimum of two of whom could be seen sporting uniforms, are seen exiting a fireplace truck and an ambulance marked with the logo of the Crimson Crescent and approaching the ambulance derailed to the aspect.
Then, sounds of intense gunfire escape.
A barrage of gunshots is seen and heard within the video hitting the convoy.
The digital camera shakes, the video goes darkish. However the audio continues for 5 minutes, and the rat-a-tat of gunfire doesn’t cease. A person says in Arabic that there are Israelis current.
The paramedic filming is heard on the video reciting, again and again, the “shahada,” or a Muslim declaration of religion, which individuals recite when going through demise. “There isn’t a God however God, Muhammad is his messenger,” the paramedic is heard saying. He asks God for forgiveness and says he is aware of he’s going to die.
“Forgive me, mom. That is the trail I selected — to assist individuals,” he mentioned. “Allahu akbar,” God is nice, he says.
Within the backdrop, a commotion of voices from distraught assist staff and troopers shouting instructions in Hebrew could be heard. It isn’t clear what they’re saying.
The Palestine Crimson Crescent Society spokeswoman, Nebal Farsakh, mentioned in an interview from the West Financial institution metropolis of Ramallah that the paramedic who filmed the video was later discovered with a bullet in his head within the mass grave. His identify has not been disclosed but as a result of he has family residing in Gaza involved about Israeli retaliation, the U.N. diplomat mentioned.
On the information convention, held on the U.N. headquarters, the president of the Palestine Crimson Crescent Society, Dr. Younis Al-Khatib, and his deputy, Marwan Jilani, informed reporters that the proof the society has collected — together with the video and audio from the episode, and forensic examination of the our bodies — contradicted Israel’s model of occasions.
The deaths of the help staff, who went lacking on March 23, has drawn worldwide scrutiny and condemnation in latest days. The U.N. and the Palestine Crimson Crescent mentioned the help staff weren’t carrying weapons and posed no menace.
“Their our bodies have been focused from a really shut vary,” mentioned Dr. Khatib, including that Israel didn’t present data on the lacking medics’ whereabouts for days. “They knew precisely the place they had been as a result of they killed them,” he mentioned. “Their colleagues had been in agony, their households had been in agony. They stored us for eight days at midnight.”
It took 5 days after the rescue automobiles got here beneath assault and fell silent for the United Nations and Crimson Crescent to barter with the Israeli navy for secure passage to seek for the lacking individuals. On Sunday, rescue groups discovered 15 our bodies, most in a shallow mass grave together with their crushed ambulances and a automobile marked with the U.N. brand.
The realm the place the convoy stops within the video was captured in a satellite tv for pc picture a number of hours later and analyzed by The Occasions. At that time, the 5 ambulances and the fireplace truck had been moved off the street and clustered collectively.
Two days later, a brand new satellite tv for pc picture of the realm confirmed the automobiles had been apparently buried. Subsequent to disturbed earth are three Israeli navy bulldozers and an excavator. Moreover, bulldozers erected earthen boundaries on the street in each instructions from the mass grave.
One member of the Palestinian Crimson Crescent continues to be lacking, and Israel has not mentioned whether or not he’s detained or has been killed, Dr. Khatib mentioned.
Dr. Ahmad Dhair, a forensic physician who examined a few of the our bodies in Gaza’s Nasser hospital, mentioned 4 out of the 5 assist staff he examined had been killed by a number of gunshots, together with wounds to the top, torso and joints. One paramedic worker of the Crimson Crescent within the convoy was detained after which launched by the Israeli navy and supplied a witness account of Israeli navy taking pictures on the ambulances, the U.N. and Crimson Crescent Society mentioned.
Dylan Winder, the consultant of the Worldwide Federation of Crimson Cross and Crimson Crescent Societies to the U.N., known as the incident an outrage and mentioned it represented the one deadliest assault on Crimson Cross and Crimson Crescent Society staff anyplace on the earth since 2017.
Volker Türk, the U.N.’s Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights, informed the council that an impartial investigation should be carried out, and that the episode raises “additional issues over the fee of struggle crimes by the Israeli navy.”
Neil Collier, Sanjana Varghese and Ephrat Livni contributed reporting. Natalie Reneau contributed video modifying.
