The Israeli military released its findings Sunday on a March airstrike in southern Gaza that killed 15 humanitarian workers, sparking sharp criticism from rights groups and witnesses who say the report offers baseless justifications and avoids accountability.
The March 23 strike hit a convoy of emergency vehicles in Tel al-Sultan, a neighborhood in Rafah, killing eight paramedics, six civil defense workers and a United Nations staff member. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the attack was a result of “operational errors” and announced disciplinary action against two officers — but no criminal charges.
The commander of the IDF’s 14th Brigade received a formal reprimand, while the deputy commander of the Golani reconnaissance battalion was removed from his post for submitting what the military called an “incomplete and inaccurate” report. “There was no intent to conceal the incident,” the IDF stated.
The Palestinian Red Crescent immediately rejected the findings, calling the report “invalid” and “full of lies.” “It shifts blame to one officer on the ground, but this was clearly a coordinated and deliberate attack,” said spokesperson Nebal Farsakh.
Witnesses said the vehicles were clearly marked as ambulances, with flashing lights visible — a claim supported by video recovered from one of the victims’ phones. The footage appears to contradict early IDF statements suggesting the vehicles bore no emergency markings.
According to the report, the incident unfolded in three phases. First, Israeli forces targeted a vehicle believed to be operated by Hamas, killing two people. A third man, Assad al Nsasrah, was detained and misidentified as a militant after being questioned in broken Arabic. The vehicle was later confirmed to be an ambulance. No update was given on al Nsasrah’s status.
Fifteen minutes later, a convoy of ambulances arrived at the scene. The deputy commander, operating with limited night vision, reportedly misidentified them as hostile. Troops opened fire under what the IDF described as a perceived “immediate threat.” The military later claimed six of the fifteen killed were affiliated with Hamas — though it provided no evidence to support the assertion.
In a third strike, about 15 minutes later, a UN vehicle was hit. The IDF called it another “operational error” and a violation of the army’s rules of engagement.
The report said the area was “highly hostile” with low visibility, and that soldiers believed Hamas operatives were present. But humanitarian organizations and legal experts have questioned the account’s credibility.
“This was not a mistake — it was a targeted attack on civilian rescuers,” said Farsakh. Sir Geoffrey Nice, a British barrister and former prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, said the strike could constitute a war crime.
Despite the mounting criticism, the IDF concluded its investigation with no indictments. The remains of the aid workers were buried in a mass grave after the strike and left there for days before being retrieved.
