by Mick the Ram

The International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and Red Crescent Societies (PRCS) stated that they were “outraged” by the attack which occurred on 23 March, with five ambulances, a fire truck and a UN vehicle struck as they headed to provide first aid to wounded individuals from Israeli shelling in the Al-Hashashin area of Rafah City, close to the border with Egypt.

The bodies of the dead were not allowed to be recovered for seven days as they lay in what has been described as a “mass grave” which was marked with the emergency light from one of their crushed ambulances.

Israel’s military excused the incident by declaring that they fired on the vehicles which were “advancing suspiciously” without headlights or emergency signals and announced that they killed a Hamas operative and “eight other terrorists” in the operation.

The attack happened on the same day that the IDF announced that its troops had encircled the nearby Tel al-Sultan area of Rafah and raided what it said was a Hamas command-and-control centre there.

Responding to the shocking incident, Senior Hamas official Basem Naim said: “The targeted killing of rescue workers – who are protected under international humanitarian law – constitutes a flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions and a war crime.”

The Israelis renewed their aerial bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza on 18 March after the first phase of the ceasefire deal came to an end and negotiations on a second phase of the deal stalled.

The killings mark the deadliest attack on Red Cross and Red Crescent staff globally since 2017, and takes the number of of losses up to 30 members since the Israel-Hamas conflict began in October 2023.

Seven days of silence

The IFRC said in a statement that the eight bodies of PRCS medics were retrieved “after seven days of silence and having access denied to the area of Rafah where they were last seen”.

The organisation identified those killed as ambulance officers Mostafa Khufaga, Saleh Muamer and Ezzedine Shaath, and first responder volunteers Mohammad Bahloul, Mohammed al-Heila, Ashraf Abu Labda, Raed al-Sharif and Rifatt Radwan.

It added that ambulance officer Assad al-Nassasra was “still missing”.

Rules of humanitarian law not observed

Secretary General of the organisation, Jagan Chapagain said: “I am heartbroken”. These dedicated ambulance workers were humanitarians responding to wounded people and they wore emblems that should have protected them; their ambulances were clearly marked.

“Even in the most complex conflict zones, there are rules and these rules of International Humanitarian Law could not be clearer – civilians must be protected; humanitarians must be protected, health services must be protected.”

“Massacred”

The PRCS called it “a massacre of our team” and said they were “devastated”. Insisting that it should never have been allowed to happen, they remarked: “Today, on the first day of Eid, we returned and recovered the buried bodies of 8 PRCS, 6 Civil Defence and 1 UN staff who were killed in their uniforms.

“Driving their clearly marked vehicles; wearing their gloves; on their way to save lives. The targeting of Red Crescent medics, despite the protected status of their mission and the Red Crescent emblem can only be considered a war crime punishable under international humanitarian law.”

Israel excuse themselves

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement that during an operation in southern Gaza on 23 March “several vehicles were identified advancing suspiciously toward IDF troops without headlights, or emergency signals, their movement was not co-ordinated in advance. Thus, IDF troops opened fire at the suspected vehicles.”

They then proceeded to condemn what they claim to be the “repeated use of ambulances and civilian infrastructure by by terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip for terrorist purposes”.

The went on to say: “Following an initial assessment, it was determined that the forces had eliminated a Hamas military operative, Mohammad Amin Ibrahim Shubaki, along with eight other terrorists from Hamas and the PIJ (Palestinian Islamic Jihad), before adding: “We co-ordinated with international organisations to facilitate the evacuation of the bodies.”

They made no comment on the whereabouts of the missing PRCS medic.

Ceasefire well and truly over

Israel launched its first major operation in Rafah nearly a year ago, in May 2024, leaving large parts of it in ruins, but tens of thousands of people returned to what was left of their homes in the city during the recent two-month-long ceasefire.

However, on Monday, 31 March the IDF issued a sweeping new evacuation order for the entire Rafah region, advising all residents to head towards the nearby al-Mawasi humanitarian zone for their safety.

An Arabic spokesperson for the military group warned that it was “returning to fight with great force to eliminate the capabilities of terrorist organizations in these areas.”