A video, found on the cellphone of a paramedic who was discovered together with 14 different support employees in a mass grave in Gaza in late March, exhibits that the ambulances and fireplace truck that they have been touring in have been clearly marked and had their emergency sign lights on when Israeli troops hit them with a barrage of gunfire.
Officers from the Palestine Purple Crescent Society stated in a information convention on Friday on the United Nations moderated by the Worldwide Federation of Purple Cross and Purple Crescent Societies that that they had offered the almost seven-minute recording, which was obtained by The New York Instances, to the U.N. Safety Council.
An Israeli navy spokesman, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, stated earlier this week that Israeli forces didn’t “randomly assault” an ambulance, however that a number of automobiles “have been recognized advancing suspiciously” with out headlights or emergency alerts towards Israeli troops, prompting them to shoot. Colonel Shoshani stated earlier within the week that 9 of these killed have been Palestinian militants. Israel didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon the video.
The Instances obtained the video from a senior diplomat on the United Nations who requested to not be recognized to have the ability to share delicate info.
The Instances verified the placement and timing of the video, which was taken within the southern metropolis of Rafah early on March 23. Filmed from what seems to be the entrance inside of a transferring car, it exhibits a convoy of ambulances and a hearth truck, clearly marked, with headlights and flashing lights turned on, driving south on a street to the north of Rafah within the early morning. The primary rays of solar could be seen, and birds are chirping.
The convoy stops when it encounters a car that had veered onto the facet of the street — one ambulance had been despatched earlier to assist wounded civilians and had come underneath assault. The brand new rescue automobiles detour to the facet of the street.
Rescue employees, not less than two of whom could be seen carrying uniforms, are seen exiting a hearth truck and an ambulance marked with the symbol of the Purple Crescent and approaching the ambulance derailed to the facet.
Then, sounds of intense gunfire get away.
A barrage of gunshots is seen and heard within the video hitting the convoy.
The digicam shakes, the video goes darkish. However the audio continues for 5 minutes, and the rat-a-tat of gunfire doesn’t cease. A person says in Arabic that there are Israelis current.
The paramedic filming is heard on the video reciting, time and again, the “diploma,” or a Muslim declaration of religion, which individuals recite when going through demise. “There isn’t a God however God, Muhammad is his messenger,” the paramedic is heard saying. He asks God for forgiveness and says he is aware of he’s going to die.
“Forgive me, mom. That is the trail I selected — to assist individuals,” he stated. “Allahu akbar,” God is nice, he says.
Within the backdrop, a commotion of voices from distraught support employees and troopers shouting instructions in Hebrew could be heard. It isn’t clear what they’re saying.
The Palestine Purple Crescent Society spokeswoman, Nebal Farsakh, stated in an interview from the West Financial institution metropolis of Ramallah that the paramedic who filmed the video was later discovered with a bullet in his head within the mass grave. His identify has not been disclosed but as a result of he has kin residing in Gaza involved about Israeli retaliation, the U.N. diplomat stated.
On the information convention, held on the U.N. headquarters, the president of the Palestine Purple Crescent Society, Dr. Younis Al-Khatib, and his deputy, Marwan Jilani, instructed reporters that the proof the society has collected — together with the video and audio from the episode, and forensic examination of the our bodies — contradicted Israel’s model of occasions.
The deaths of the help employees, who went lacking on March 23, has drawn worldwide scrutiny and condemnation in latest days. The U.N. and the Palestine Purple Crescent stated the help employees weren’t carrying weapons and posed no risk.
“Their our bodies have been focused from a really shut vary,” stated Dr. Khatib, including that Israel didn’t present info on the lacking medics’ whereabouts for days. “They knew precisely the place they have been as a result of they killed them,” he stated. “Their colleagues have been in agony, their households have been in agony. They saved us for eight days at the hours of darkness.”
It took 5 days after the rescue automobiles got here underneath assault and fell silent for the United Nations and Purple Crescent to barter with the Israeli navy for protected passage to seek for the lacking individuals. On Sunday, rescue groups discovered 15 our bodies, most in a shallow mass grave together with their crushed ambulances and a car marked with the U.N. emblem.
The world the place the convoy stops within the video was captured in a satellite tv for pc picture a couple of hours later and analyzed by The Instances. At that time, the 5 ambulances and the hearth truck had been moved off the street and clustered collectively.
Two days later, a brand new satellite tv for pc picture of the realm confirmed the automobiles have been apparently buried. Subsequent to disturbed earth are three Israeli navy bulldozers and an excavator. Moreover, bulldozers erected earthen limitations on the street in each instructions from the mass grave.
One member of the Palestinian Purple Crescent remains to be lacking, and Israel has not stated whether or not he’s detained or has been killed, Dr. Khatib stated.
Dr. Ahmad Dhair, a forensic physician who examined a number of the our bodies in Gaza’s Nasser hospital, stated 4 out of the 5 support employees he examined have been killed by a number of gunshots, together with wounds to the top, torso and joints. One paramedic worker of the Purple Crescent within the convoy was detained after which launched by the Israeli navy and supplied a witness account of Israeli navy capturing on the ambulances, the U.N. and Purple Crescent Society stated.
Dylan Winder, the consultant of the Worldwide Federation of Purple Cross and Purple Crescent Societies to the U.N., referred to as the incident an outrage and stated it represented the only deadliest assault on Purple Cross and Purple Crescent Society employees anyplace on the earth since 2017.
Volker Türk, the U.N.’s Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights, instructed the council that an impartial investigation should be performed, and that the episode raises “additional issues over the fee of struggle crimes by the Israeli navy.”
Neil Collier, SANJANA VARGHESE and Ephratar Livni contributed reporting. Natalie Reneau contributed video enhancing.
