The Media Line: Footage of Deadly Red Crescent Convoy Attack in Gaza Appears To Contradict Israeli Account

A newly obtained video verified and published by The New York Times appears to contradict the Israeli military’s account of a deadly shooting of Palestine Red Crescent Society aid workers near Rafah in Gaza, raising international scrutiny and calls for accountability.

The footage, discovered on a cellphone of a paramedic later found buried in a mass grave along with 14 other aid workers, shows ambulances and a fire truck clearly marked with flashing emergency lights and insignia when Israeli troops opened fire on March 23. The video, presented to the United Nations Security Council by the Palestine Red Crescent Society on Friday, seems to directly challenge Israel’s claims regarding the circumstances of the deadly incident.

In the nearly seven-minute recording, aid workers wearing uniforms are visible exiting marked emergency vehicles in response to an earlier attack on an ambulance. Moments later, intense gunfire erupts, causing panic and chaos. The paramedic filming the video is heard reciting the Muslim declaration of faith, preparing himself for death, before the recording ends.

Earlier this week, Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani stated that Israeli forces identified vehicles advancing suspiciously toward their position without emergency signals or headlights, prompting troops to open fire. Shoshani had also claimed that most of those killed were involved with terror activity.

However, Palestine Red Crescent Society officials and forensic examinations strongly contradict these statements. “The paramedic who filmed the video was later discovered with a bullet wound to his head in the mass grave,” said Nebal Farsakh, spokeswoman for the Palestine Red Crescent Society. Dr. Younis Al-Khatib, the organization’s president, asserted during a UN press conference that forensic evidence confirmed the aid workers were killed at close range and had posed no threat.

The bodies of 15 aid workers were discovered after prolonged negotiations between the UN, Palestine Red Crescent Society, and the Israeli military. Satellite images analyzed by the Times show the ambulances clustered together after the attack, and subsequently buried with the assistance of Israeli military equipment.