Israel Admits Firing on Gaza Ambulances, Executing Medics

Gaza (Quds News Network)- The Israeli army admitted on Saturday that it had opened fire on ambulances and executed medics in Gaza, claiming they were “suspicious.”

On Friday, Gaza’s Civil Defense said Israeli forces attacked its teams six days ago while they were working in Tel Al-Sultan, west of Rafah. The teams were trapped, and contact with them was lost. The fate of nine emergency responders remains unknown.

Hamas called for an international investigation into the Israeli attack on civil defense and Palestinian Red Crescent crews. The group demanded that “Israeli war criminals” be held accountable.

The movement stated that Israel violates international laws and humanitarian principles by repeatedly targeting rescue teams and blocking life-saving operations. “The ongoing crimes during months of genocide in Gaza prove that the Israeli war machine has no limits,” Hamas stated.

Hamas urged the United Nations, humanitarian organizations, and the International Committee of the Red Cross to investigate the attack and enter Rafah to determine the fate of thousands of missing civilians.

On Thursday evening, the Palestinian Red Crescent, with help from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), managed to enter Tel Al-Sultan and recover the body of a civil defense paramedic. He was among the nine medics who disappeared on Sunday.

The Red Crescent said on Friday that the fate of its missing team members remains unknown. It attempted another search mission but had to withdraw after Israeli forces ordered them to leave the area. Civil Defense officials later found the body of their team leader near a burned-out ambulance that had been reduced to a pile of metal.

The Israeli military admitted to shooting at ambulances in Gaza. In a statement sent to Agence France-Presse, the army claimed that its troops had “eliminated Hamas terrorists” before noticing other vehicles approaching in a “suspicious manner.” Soldiers then opened fire, claiming to have killed several members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, though no evidence has been provided.

An alleged army’s preliminary investigation confirmed that some of the targeted vehicles were ambulances and fire trucks. It accused Palestinians of misusing emergency vehicles for military purposes, though ni evidence has been provided.

Tom Fletcher, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator, confirmed on Friday that ambulances have been attacked, and rescue workers have been killed in Gaza since March 18. He urged the international community to take action to uphold international law.

Israel launched an assault in Tel Al-Sultan on Sunday, executing and wounding civilians while trapping thousands inside the area. Ambulance and civil defense teams were deliberately cut off from those in need.

Since resuming its genocide in Gaza on March 18, Israel has killed 896 Palestinians and wounded 1,984, mostly women and children. The genocide, which began on October 7, has killed and injured more than 164,000 Palestinians and left over 14,000 missing amid widespread destruction and war crimes.