On March 23, footage of a cell phone appeared, appearing to contradict Israel’s explanation as to why soldiers fired fire on ambulance and fire truck convoys, killing 15 rescuers.
The video, published by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), shows a vehicle moving in the dark with headlights and flashing emergency lights on before a fire occurs. PRCS said the video was obtained from the phone of the killed paramedic.
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) initially denied that the vehicle had headlights or emergency signals on.
However, in response to the new video, IDF told the BBC: “All claims, including incident documents, will be thoroughly and deeply considered to understand the handling of a series of events and circumstances.”
Surviving paramedics previously told the BBC that the ambulance was clearly marked and the interior and exterior lights were on.
The latest video, which PRCS said, is on display at the UN Security Council, shows it stopped at the edge of the road, lights still flashing, showing at least two paramedics leaving in reflective clothing.
The windshield of the vehicle being photographed has cracked and can be heard that the filming will last for several minutes when a prayer says it. He is understood to be one of the dead paramedics.
The footage was found on his phone after his body was recovered from a shallow grave a week after the incident. The bodies of eight paramedics, six Gaza civil defense workers and one UN employee were found to be buried in the sand. It took an international organisation several days to negotiate secure access to the site.
Israel claimed that many Hamas and Islamic jihad militants were killed in the incident, but that either provided no evidence or explained the threat to its army.
Earlier this week, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saa repeated his army accounts, saying, “The IDF did not randomly attack the ambulance.”
The IDF has pledged to investigate the situation after surviving paramedics questioned the account.
In an interview with the BBC, paramedic Mancer Abed said: “It’s the same during the day and at night. The exterior and interior lights are on. You can see that it’s an ambulance belonging to the Palestinian red crescent.
He also denied that he or his team had radical connections.
“All crews are civilians. We are not part of a militant group. Our main duty is to provide ambulance services and save lives for people. It’s no longer that,” he said.
Speaking at the United Nations yesterday, Dr. Younis al-Khatib, president of PRCS, mentioned the video recording, saying, “I heard the voice of one of the team members who were killed. I heard his final words before being shot.
He called for “accountability” and “independent and thorough investigation” of what is called “heinous crimes.”
One paramedic has not yet been explained following the incident on March 23rd.
