Footage contradicts earlier military claims, showing Red Crescent vehicles with flashing lights and logos clearly visible before deadly barrage
In what is already being called one of the most damning civilian-targeted incidents of the Gaza war, Israel’s military has acknowledged it made a “mistake” in the killing of 15 emergency workers — after video surfaced showing that the medics’ vehicles had visible emergency signals when Israeli forces opened fire.
The admission came late Saturday, two weeks after the March 23 attack in Rafah, and only after the Palestinian Red Crescent released harrowing phone footage filmed by one of the victims in the final minutes of his life.
‘This is the path I chose, mother’
The voice on the footage is weak. Trembling. It’s coming from a medic, filming from the passenger seat of a Red Crescent vehicle as it rolls slowly into a war-torn street in Tel al-Sultan, a district in southern Gaza.
“Forgive me, mother,” the man says quietly, as flashing red-and-blue lights illuminate the cracked windshield. “This is the path I chose, mother — to help people.”
The footage — now verified by multiple humanitarian agencies — shows a convoy of emergency vehicles approaching the scene of a prior strike, lights flashing, sirens faint but audible. The Red Crescent and Civil Defense logos are clearly marked on the vans.
No sudden movements. No speeding. No threats.
And then: gunfire. A sustained burst. Then another. And another.
By the end of the five-minute onslaught, 15 emergency workers were dead — eight Red Crescent medics, six Civil Defense personnel, and one U.N. staffer. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli military bulldozers then moved in, burying the bodies alongside the destroyed vehicles in what has since been described as a mass grave.
IDF Walks Back Earlier Statement
In the immediate aftermath, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed the vehicles had approached “suspiciously” and without clear emergency indicators — a statement now proven false by the video evidence.
Speaking anonymously under military regulations, a senior Israeli official told reporters Saturday night: “That initial report was mistaken. The vehicles did, in fact, have signals on.”
The official declined to say whether the troops involved would face consequences, or whether the incident would trigger a broader investigation.
Human rights organizations and international observers are now demanding both.
‘They Were Coming to Help the Wounded’
The Red Crescent says the convoy had been dispatched to assist another ambulance that had come under fire minutes earlier.
“They weren’t part of any military operation. They were responding to a distress call,” said Rana Harfoush, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent. “They were coming to help the wounded. Instead, they were slaughtered.”
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called the attack “a grotesque violation of international humanitarian law” and urged an independent inquiry. “Targeting medical personnel is unacceptable under any circumstances,” he said in a statement Sunday.
Buried in a Mass Grave, Unearthed a Week Later
Even more haunting than the shooting itself is what reportedly happened after the gunfire stopped.
Local residents say IDF bulldozers rolled in before dawn, clearing the road — and in the process, pushing the shattered remains of the medics, their vehicles, and their equipment into a roadside trench.
U.N. search teams were only able to access the site seven days later, after Israeli forces pulled back temporarily. Bodies were found burned, crushed, and decomposing.
Footage of the mass grave has since circulated online, triggering fresh outrage across the Arab world and renewed scrutiny in European capitals.
Patterns in Gaza Under Fire
Since the war began, more than 140 medical personnel have been killed in Gaza, according to World Health Organization estimates. Dozens of hospitals and clinics have been targeted. The U.N. has documented repeated strikes on ambulances, field hospitals, and medical convoys.
Still, this incident — caught on camera, involving clearly marked emergency vehicles — may be the most indisputable yet.
It comes as Israel continues its intense military operations in southern Gaza, following an uptick in cross-border fire from Rafah and Khan Younis. But critics say those security concerns don’t justify what has now become a pattern of lethal errors — often at the expense of civilians and humanitarian responders.
No Apologies, Just ‘Operational Errors’
Despite walking back its account, the Israeli military has not formally apologized. Nor has it clarified whether the troops who fired on the convoy were acting under orders or responding to what they believed was a threat.
Asked about the incident during a Sunday briefing, IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said only: “We regret the loss of life. It appears there was a tragic operational error.”
When pressed by international reporters, he declined to answer further questions.
Global Reactions Build
The international community is already reacting.
-
France has summoned Israel’s ambassador to explain the incident.
-
Qatar, which has mediated hostage talks between Hamas and Israel, called the killings “a war crime.”
-
The United Nations Human Rights Council is preparing an emergency session for later this week to address violations against medical personnel in conflict zones.
And across social media, the final words of the young medic — “Forgive me, mother” — are going viral. A new symbol of what many are calling an unspeakable tragedy, caught in plain sight.
