Israeli army has announced that the 15 medics and rescuers were killed because of an operational misunderstanding
The Israeli army today publishes details of the inspection of the murder of emergency officers in the Gaza Strip last month, Reuters reported. On March 23, near the town of Rafah, which is located in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers opened fire on teams of civil protection and the red crescent, killing 15 emergency officers, France’s press recalls.
A statement by the Israeli Armed Forces said that several professional mistakes and violations of orders were discovered, and that it was not reported to the incident.
The Israeli army also said that in connection with the incident, a deputy commander would be removed from office, the Associated Press reported.
The killings of paramedics in Gaza from Israel: deliberate or mistake
The published result of the investigation said that the deputy commander in question, « because of poor visibility at night », considered that the vehicles of the killed employees belonged to fighters of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas Movement.
The Israeli army said in its investigation that the Palestinians were killed due to « operational misunderstanding » by the Israeli forces.
The investigation says the decision to attack vehicles was wrong, but it was denied that there was an attempt to conceal the event.
Israel accuses Hamas of carrying and hiding his fighters in ambulances and vehicles to emergency services, as well as in hospitals and other civilian facilities.
In their statement, Israeli forces pointed out that six of the killed on March 23 were members of Hamas.
