The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) concluded Friday that there has been professional failure following the killing of several Palestinian medics but no planned execution or attempt to conceal the event.

The IDF finding noted that the incident occurred in a “hostile and dangerous combat zone” and “under widespread threat to the operating troops” from the use of medical infrastructure by Hamas to conduct terrorist attacks and transport weapons.

The statement cited three incidents on 23 March involving the IDF. In the first, the Israeli forces fired at a vehicle they identified as belonging to Hamas. In the second, IDF shot people coming out of a fire truck and ambulances on the belief that they were Hamas operatives. In the third incident, they targeted a UN vehicle by mistake due to operational errors. In total, fifteen emergency workers were killed.

The finding concluded that the error occurred “due to poor night visibility, the deputy commander did not initially recognize the vehicles as ambulances,” and that “no evidence to support claims of execution or that any of the deceased were bound before or after the shooting,” stating that these are false accusations against IDF soldiers.

The IDF fired the deputy commander after his “partial and inaccurate” report of the incident, leading to condemnation by human rights groups and several key stakeholders of the international community.

Israeli authorities had initially stated that the killings of the 15 Palestinian medics were due to suspicious movements by the vehicles but backtracked later on as video footage of the killings contradicted their statements.

UN Human rights chief Volker Türk condemned the attack, urging the finding of the remains of the missing bodies and a thorough investigation conforming to international law. UN Emergency Relief Coordinator also demanded “justice and answers” from Israel following the attack.

According to Article 19 of the Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949, “fixed establishments and mobile medical units of the medical service may in no circumstance be attacked,” whereas Article 24 states that medical personnel engaged in search of wounded or sick must be protected and respected at all times.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, at least 399 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since October 2023.