According to a report Thursday by Quds News, Israeli forces executed nine missing Palestinian medics from the Red Crescent and Civil Defense in Rafah, buried them, and destroyed their ambulances, the Palestinian Civil Defense confirmed on Thursday.
On March 22nd, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported that the Israeli army surrounded several of its ambulances while they were operating in the Al-Hashashin area of the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, which was targeted by Israeli bombardment.
Several paramedics were injured, and contact was lost with the trapped team of medical professionals, who remained surrounded by the Israeli military as soldiers cleared the surrounding area and prevented anyone from reaching the ambulances.
The Palestinian Red Crescent had reported the medics missing for days, expressing deep concern for its teams’ safety and holding Israel fully responsible. The Gaza media office stated that the Israeli forces abducted 15 paramedics and civil defense workers. It called for urgent international intervention to allow rescue crews into Tel Sultan to locate the missing medics. However, all efforts by international organizations failed due to Israeli restrictions.
March 23 satellite image showing location of detained medical workers and ambulances:
Their fate remained unknown until rescue teams, coordinated with the Red Cross, were able to enter the area on Thursday. They discovered that Israeli troops had executed the missing medics and buried them near the military barracks. The soldiers also destroyed all Palestinian Red Crescent and Civil Defense ambulances at the site.
Red Crescent victims: Ezz Al-Din Shaath, Mustafa Khafaja, Saleh Ma’mar, Mohammed Bahloul, Ashraf Abu Labda, Mohammed Al-Hayla, Rifat Radwan, Asaad Al-Nasasra, Raed Al-Sharif
Civil Defense victims: Fouad Al-Jamal, Youssef Khalifa, Anwar Al-Attar, Zuhair Al-Farra, Sameer Al-Bahabsa, Ibrahim Al-Maghari
The body of Civil Defense head Anwar Al-Attar was recovered and transferred to Nasser Hospital. Search efforts for the remaining missing continue.
The discovery of the assassinated medics came nine days into Israel’s renewed assault on the entire Gaza Strip, which came unexpectedly on March 18th, after just 38 days of ceasefire, when the Israeli army carried out a sudden air operation in Gaza, killing over 500 people, injuring nearly 1,900 others, and destroying the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that was in place since January.
At least 400 aid workers, including teachers, doctors and nurses, have been killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, OCHA said in an update earlier this week. The death toll includes 289 UN staff and 34 Palestinian Red Crescent Society medics, s well as 76 from other NGOs.
