GAZA, (PIC)
Martyr paramedic Rifaat Radwan was killed in a horrific Israeli crime, but he left behind a video documenting the Israeli occupation’s crime and its direct targeting of a Palestinian ambulance crew in the city of Rafah without any justification.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society announced that it obtained a video from the phone of martyr paramedic Rifaat Radwan after his body was discovered in a mass grave in Gaza. The grave included 15 members of ambulance and relief teams who were targeted by Israeli army fire on March 23.
The video clearly shows that the ambulances and fire trucks they were using were visibly marked and bore emergency signs, with lights on at the time they were shot at by Israeli forces.
According to the organization, the video definitively refutes the occupation army’s claims that Israeli forces did not attack ambulances indiscriminately and had alleged that some vehicles approached “suspiciously without lights or emergency signals.”
The video—also published by The New York Times as part of an investigation and analyzed using geolocation and timestamp technologies—shows a paramedic crew in official medical uniforms transporting a wounded person on a stretcher before they were struck directly, killing them all.
This video serves as clear visual evidence directly contradicting the narrative of the occupation army, which claimed the strike targeted an “armed cell” approaching its forces.
The New York Times investigation, based on eyewitness testimonies and precise visual analysis of the area, confirmed that the victims were medical personnel and were neither armed nor engaging in any combat activity.
This revelation is a serious blow to the occupation army’s repeated justifications for targeting civilians under the pretext of “suspicion” or “responding to an imminent threat.” It also highlights the grave danger faced by medical workers in the Gaza Strip, who are subjected to direct targeting in blatant violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, which obligate the protection of medical crews and ambulances during conflicts.
Human rights and international reactions
Following the report’s release, international human rights organizations quickly demanded an independent investigation into the crime. Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) said the video depicts “a full-fledged war crime,” and called for those responsible for targeting the paramedics to be held accountable.
Amnesty International also expressed shock at the footage and urged the International Criminal Court to include this incident in its investigation file on crimes committed in the Palestinian territories.
A broader context of violations
This crime is part of a long series of assaults that have affected civilians in the Gaza Strip since the aggression began last October. Local and international organizations have documented attacks on hospitals, shelters, and journalists amidst a complete lack of effective international accountability to date.
The report re-emphasizes the importance of documenting crimes with audio and video, especially in light of the occupation’s persistent attempts to falsify facts. It calls on the international community to assume its responsibility toward the Palestinian people and to protect medical and humanitarian workers from repeated targeting.
The Government Media Office (GMO) confirmed that the video completely dismantles the false and misleading narrative of the occupation, which falsely claimed that the vehicles “approached suspiciously” without clear markings—while the video exposes the lies of the occupation army.
GMO stated: “We are facing a full-fledged war crime, premeditated and deliberate, demonstrating a complete disregard for the humanitarian and medical crews. It proves that the occupation does not hesitate to bomb even those who carry bandages, not rifles—those who extinguish fires, not ignite them.”
Last Sunday, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society recovered 14 bodies after an Israeli bombing in the city of Rafah, including 8 of its own crew members, 5 from civil defense, and an employee of a UN agency.
The Red Crescent expressed its “deep shock” at the continued assaults on its crews, despite their display of the Red Crescent emblem, which is protected under international law.
The International Committee of the Red Cross also expressed its “deep shock” over the targeting of the teams after losing contact with them on March 23.
Israel has killed 27 Red Crescent paramedics while they were performing their humanitarian duty in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.
With full U.S. support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 165,000 Palestinians dead or wounded—most of them children and women—and over 11,000 missing.
