Eyewitness Testimonies Illuminate Tragic Strike on Medics in Gaza

Two witnesses describe a deadly Israeli assault on medics in Gaza, recounting the fatal moments that led to the deaths of 15 rescue workers, including accusations of deliberate targeting by Israeli forces.

It was early morning on March 23 when a convoy of ambulances and a fire truck, dispatched by Palestinian emergency services, arrived in Rafah, Gaza, in search of missing paramedics. The team had been sent to assist colleagues who had not returned from a previous rescue mission. As they approached the location of a missing ambulance, the group found themselves under gunfire from Israeli soldiers stationed nearby.

Eyewitnesses Munther Abed, a volunteer paramedic who had survived an earlier attack on the same ambulance, and Dr. Saeed al-Bardawil, a physician, both reported being taken hostage by the Israeli troops. Their accounts of the events were shared exclusively with The New York Times following the United Nations’ alarming discovery of a mass grave containing the bodies of 15 relief workers—eight from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, six from Gaza’s Civil Defense, and one from the U.N.

The accounts provided by Abed and al-Bardawil have emerged as further evidence supporting the allegations made by the United Nations that Israeli forces were responsible for the targeted killings of these humanitarian responders. Both men's stories appear consistent not only with each other but also with a video recovered from the cellphone of one of the deceased paramedics. This footage shows a rapid discharge of gunfire striking the convoy precisely at dawn.

The international community continues to express outrage over the loss of life among medical personnel in conflict zones, highlighting the imperative for protection of humanitarian workers and the urgent need for an independent investigation into the recent surge in violence, particularly aimed at emergency services in Gaza.