Humanitarian organizations working in Gaza have condemned the lack of accountability of Israeli security forces for the shooting of 15 paramedics after an investigation conducted by Israel. This is reported by The Guardian, writes UNN.
Details
The UN humanitarian agency, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and the Gaza Civil Defense Service rejected the findings of an Israeli military investigation that concluded that the killings of 15 Palestinian medics and rescuers in Rafah last month were caused by "professional errors."
Eight PRCS paramedics, six members of the civil defense rescue agency, and one employee of Unrwa, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, were performing two rescue operations when they were shot by Israeli forces in southern Gaza on the morning of March 23.
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The IDF initially claimed that the medics' vehicles did not use emergency signals, so the military opened fire. But they abandoned this version after mobile phone footage emerged refuting the Israeli side's claims.
And on the eve of the IDF stated that an internal investigation "revealed several professional errors, violations of orders and incomplete reporting of the incident."
The Gaza Civil Defense Agency, which rescues victims of airstrikes, has criticised the Israeli military's report, accusing the military of lying to justify the shooting of a rescue convoy.
Video taken by one of the paramedics proves that the Israeli occupation narrative is false and shows that it carried out extrajudicial executions
Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN humanitarian service in Gaza, said the investigation was superficial and "did not go far enough."
The lack of genuine accountability undermines international law and makes the world a more dangerous place. Without accountability, we risk continuing to witness the unfolding of atrocities and the erosion of norms designed to protect us all
Palestine Red Crescent Society spokeswoman Nebal Farsah said: "The report is full of lies. It is invalid and unacceptable because it justifies the killing and shifts responsibility to the personal error of the field command, when the truth is quite different."
PRCS has previously called for an international investigation into the incident.
Let us remind you
On March 23, 15 paramedics and other rescuers were shot as ambulances were heading to help the wounded near the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. The first ambulance returned with the victim. However, ambulances were later shelled. As a result, 15 Palestinian emergency workers were killed.