The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has condemned Israel’s killing of 14 missing paramedics of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and the Palestinian Civil Defense in Rafah, Southern Gaza.
In a statement released on March 30, the organization stressed that “even in the most complex conflict zones, international humanitarian law” must be upheld. The tragic incident highlights the increased targeting of humanitarian and health workers in the face of Israel’s blatant sense of impunity.
“I am heartbroken. These dedicated ambulance workers were responding to wounded people. They were humanitarians. They wore emblems that should have protected them,” said IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain.
“Their ambulances were clearly marked. They should have returned to their families; they did not,” he added.
Chapagain’s statement is especially poignant given that the discovery happened on the first day of Eid Al Fitr in Palestine, meaning that families who for over a week held the torturous hope that Israel might spare their loved ones, only received their cold, lifeless and maimed corpses on a day where most Muslim celebrate.
The victims were identified as eight PRCS medics, five Civil Defence personnel, and one United Nations employee. The PRCS are still engaged in efforts to gain information from the Israeli authorities on Asaad Al-Nasasra, the 15th medic whose whereabouts remain unknown– a detail that has been overlooked in several media reports.
On March 23, teams of PRCS and the Palestinian Civil Defense were dispatched to Al Hashashim in Rafah to provide emergency aid to victims of an Israeli airstrike. However, before they could reach their target area, they were reportedly besieged and taken by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). The Palestinian organizations lost contact with 15 of their members that day and accused Israel of abducting them.
Satellite imagery obtained by Al Jazeera later confirmed that Israeli forces had surrounded at least five ambulances belonging to PRCS and Palestinian Civil Defense in the same area on that day. The footage provided strong evidence that the paramedics had been deliberately targeted, raising serious concerns over Israel’s continued attacks on medical personnel and humanitarian workers.
For eight days, PRCS teams, in coordination with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), searched for the missing medics. The IOF blocked their efforts, hindering the search for their colleagues.
Earlier, on March 27, the PRCS had already found the body of Anwar Al Attar, a Civil Defence member who was “torn apart” by the IOF. Four PRCS ambulances were found destroyed and buried under sand, a chilling indication of the deliberate targeting of emergency responders.
The PRCS has labeled the killings a war crime and calls for an independent and urgent investigation into the attack. The IFRC and other humanitarian organizations are similarly demanding accountability, urging the international community to take action against the perpetrators.
PRCS declared that 27 of its personnel have been killed by Israel while carrying out their humanitarian duty in Gaza since October 2023. The UN’s 275th update on Gaza further revealed that at least 399 aid workers have been killed, including 289 UN staff members, 34 PRCS personnel, 76 other NGO workers.
