Were confused with Hamas’s militants

Israeli defense forces (IDF) have admitted that their confession of the killing of 15 Palestinian doctors and Gaza rescue workers was incorrect, some media reported on Saturday, citing preliminary findings of an incident.

On March 23, a group of soldiers near Rafah fired on a column of ambulances of the Palestinian Red Crescent Association, a UN car and a fire truck from the Gaza Civil Defense.

IDF claimed at the time that the column was traveling in the dark with the lights off.

On Saturday, the New York Times posted a video proving that ambulances were clearly marked and had their lanterns and that doctors wore reflective clothing when they were shot on them in the Rafah Sultan neighborhood.

According to NYT, an IDF official said at a conference to journalists later that day that the soldiers had « mistakenly » identified the rescuers as Hamas fighters. The official added that the incident « will be thoroughly examined and in depth ».

The Times of Israel quoted preliminary findings saying that IDF had raised an ambush on the street around 4am with local time. About half an hour later, a Hamas police car passed by and exchanged fires with the soldiers, who killed a militant and seized two others.

Around 6am, the Israeli troops saw the ambulance autoLea and opened fire. One operator of the observation drones had previously told them that the column was moving in a « suspicious way, » Idf said.

Idf also said at least six of the killed doctors were identified after death by intelligence officials as Hamas operative.

Last month, Israel resumed air strikes and land operations against Hamas in Gaza after the parties failed to agree on the implementation of the second phase of the US -mediated ceasefire, Egypt and Qatar in January.