The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) on Friday called for a full, independent investigation into the Israeli military’s killing of fifteen humanitarian aid workers and urged international efforts to locate a missing PRCS paramedic.
During a UN briefing, PRCS members pleaded with the international community to challenge the Israeli government’s argument that the organization’s ambulances had been operating without “headlights” or “emergency signals” at the time the emergency workers were killed. One video captured by another PRCS ambulance—published on CNN’s website—contradicted the IDF’s statement, as it depicted IDF tanks open firing on clearly marked ambulances with operational sirens and lights. Other evidence shared during the briefing included a phone audio recording of a PRCS medic saying, “Forgive me, Mother. Mother, forgive me. This is the path I chose. To help people. Forgive me, Mother. By God I only chose this path to help people. Forgive me,” moments before being killed.
“Gaza cannot be left alone,” PRSC President Dr. Younes al-Khatib stated in the press release, “This is a cry to our international community.” Dr. Younes al-Khatib further stressed that the organization is “looking for action” as more than 220 PRCS workers have been killed by the IDF over the past 50 years.
The UN briefing comes after PRCS members uncovered the aid workers’ bodies in Rafah last Sunday with the help of UN humanitarian coordination office members. Dr. Younes al-Khatib confirmed during the briefing that the ninth medic present at the time of the killing—identified as Assad—was not among the bodies and that his whereabouts remain unclear. Among the deceased were eight PRCS paramedics, six civil defense workers, and one UN staff member. PRCS identified the deceased medics as Mustafa Khafaja, Ezz El-Din Shaat, Saleh Muammar, Refaat Radwan, Muhammad Bahloul, Ashraf Abu Libda, Muhammad Al-Hila, and Raed Al-Sharif, who had been heading toward Hashashin in Rafah to render humanitarian aid to people injured by IDF gunfire.
Israel has faced mounting criticism from human rights organizations for its indiscriminate attacks on Palestinian humanitarian aid workers, which constitutes a war crime under the International Criminal Court’s Rome Statute that prohibits attacks against humanitarian aid mission personnel. “Israel’s continued denial of entry to Gaza for forensic experts and independent investigators, including from the International Criminal Court (ICC) and international human rights organizations like Amnesty International will strengthen impunity and embolden perpetrators of war crimes from all parties,” said Amnesty International Senior Director Erika Guevara Rosas. UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese has also called for Israel’s removal from the UN for the IDF’s “unparalleled/relentless” attacks on UNRWA.
PRCS staff have appealed to the international community five times over the past year and a half, and have urgently called for an immediate ceasefire, civilian access to humanitarian aid, and an end to attacks on emergency aid workers. PRCS will continue to demand justice for victims and their families as it awaits the release of a forensic report.
