International Report Reveals Execution of 15 Paramedics in Rafah and Attack on Ambulance Convoy

An international investigation released yesterday has unveiled new details regarding the execution of 15 paramedics in southern Gaza on March 23, 2025. This tragic incident involved Israeli soldiers opening fire on a humanitarian convoy in northern Rafah. The report also highlights efforts to obscure the full extent of this event.

Conducted by independent organizations Forensic Architecture and Earshot, the investigation is based on thorough field, audio, and video analyses.

According to the findings, Israeli forces fired nearly a thousand rounds at the ambulance convoy affiliated with the Red Crescent and the rescue organization in the Tel al-Sultan area of northern Rafah. Among these shots, at least eight bullets struck victims from a very close range of one to four meters.

The shooting reportedly continued for over two hours, with no evidence of return fire or armed threats from the humanitarian convoy documented. The convoy was clearly marked with recognizable humanitarian symbols. The victims included eight Red Crescent personnel, six rescue workers, and one employee from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, known as UNRWA. This incident occurred amidst a troubling trend, as hundreds of aid workers have been killed in Gaza since October 2023.

The conflicting narratives from the occupying regime have sparked widespread reactions. A spokesperson for the Israeli military previously claimed that unmarked and suspicious vehicles approached the area without emergency lights or signals, asserting that nine individuals in the convoy were affiliated with armed groups, a claim made without any evidence. However, a video recorded by one of the paramedics before their death shows the ambulances moving with lights on and sirens activated.

The discrepancies in the Israeli accounts have drawn significant criticism, including from senior international reporter Trey Yingst of Fox News, who described the Israeli narrative as clearly inaccurate.Local sources in Gaza report that some victims survived the initial attack but were subsequently detained and executed on-site. Their bodies were buried alongside destroyed vehicles.

Two survivors of the incident Munther Abed and Asad al-Nassasra stated that Israeli soldiers opened fire as the aid workers exited their vehicles and approached another ambulance. Autopsy reports indicate that the bullets struck the victims’ heads and chests from close range with injury patterns suggesting execution. In one case a headless body was found while the least injured victim had sustained at least 20 bullet wounds.

Following the incident Asad al-Nassasra was detained and taken to the ‘Sde Teyman’ detention center in the Negev Desert where he endured 37 days of imprisonment and torture. Munther Abed reported being stripped beaten and threatened with death.

Jonathan Whittall who was the head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs at the time of the incident stated that the official Israeli narrative has changed multiple times especially after the discovery of a mass grave with varying versions being presented.

Catherine Gallagher an attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights described this investigation as a decisive and devastating case indicating a policy of ‘shoot first’ that contravenes international law. She warned that the continued impunity creates conditions for such events to recur.

In a related development it has been reported that a U.S.-supported humanitarian aid distribution center has been built over the site of the mass grave of the paramedics prompting renewed international criticism.