Auxiliary workers in mass grave in Gaza: « War Crosses »
The 15 healthcare and rescue workers were found dead in a shallow mass grave in southern Gaza, dressed in medical uniforms and gloves. The ambulances they traveled in were found demolished and buried in the sand. The staff came from the Red Crescent, Palestinian Civil Defense and the UN.
The UN Humanitarian Bodies and has published videos and pictures from the site. The UN and the Red Crescent state that the relief workers were shot dead by the Israeli military.
– If this is correct then it is awful, it is clear in all conventions that health and auxiliary staff should absolutely be protected. So if this is true, it is bad war crimes, says international law expert Ove Bring.
Anders Persson, political scientist And the Middle East expert at Linnaeus University, agrees that the event stands out even in this, bloody war.
– It seems to be an attack exclusively against blue light personnel, which you also tried to darken, he says.
Five of the bodies have now been investigated by forensic Ahmad Dhaher at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The doctor states that four certainly died of gunshot wounds.
– Preliminary analyzes indicate that they were executed up close, as the location of the gunshots is specific and seems to be placed with reflection, says Ahmad Dhaher to The Guardian.
A person shot in the headanother in the heart and a third body has six or seven gunshot injuries in the upper body, Dhaher describes. He adds that there are some uncertainties, as the bodies have begun to break down. The fifth body that Dhaher examined had been so attacked by animals that no cause of death could not be determined in the first stage.
– It is one of the worst examples of war crimes I have heard of in this war between Israel and Hamas, says Ove Bring.
Anda’s manager Jonathan Whittall was in place when bodies and the remains of the auxiliary workers’ vehicles were excavated out of the sand.
– It was shocking experiences, he says in a statement and continues:
– This is indeed a war completely without boundaries.
The UN has condemned the incident and demanded that rescue workers be protected in accordance with international law, and be supported by the international community.
French and German representatives have repeated the UN’s words that healthcare professionals must never be a target of war.
« Humanitarian workers and doctors risk their own lives to provide support to others. They must not be a target, » writes Germany’s foreign ministry in a statement.
Britain’s Foreign Minister David Lammy Said on Wednesday that Gaza is the deadliest place on earth for relief workers.
– The latest deaths among health care workers are a sharp reminder of this. Those responsible must be held accountable, he says according to The Guardian.
On Thursday, the Israeli defense, IDF, announces that a special investigation has been appointed, reports Jerusalem Post. The spokesperson does not want to call the event an execution but says that those responsible will be held accountable, « if required ».
Still, the reactions have Not as strong as they could have become – the large amount of civilian deaths and the many reports on brutal attacks have made the outside world dumbfounded, says Anders Persson.
– It was clear from the beginning that this would be a very dirty war. It has also become it and this kind of events forties it, he says and continues:
– Now it has been so much killing that it becomes like a fatigue about it.
