Translated from WAFA, Gaza, April 15, 2025 – By Mohammad Dahman: Sunday, March 23, 2025, was no ordinary day in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. At 3:30 a.m., the Rafah Ambulance Center received an urgent call from a citizen reporting an Israeli airstrike on a house in the “Hashashin” area, northwest of the city.
Two ambulances from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) were immediately dispatched to rescue the injured. Little did the paramedics know that this humanitarian mission would be the last for some of them.
A Call for Help Turns into a Deadly Trap
The first ambulance transported three casualties to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, and quickly returned to its base in Khirbet Al-Adas.
However, contact with the second ambulance was lost. Repeated attempts to reach the crew failed.
A third ambulance was dispatched to investigate, only to discover that their colleagues had been directly targeted. Additional teams were dispatched to rescue them.
Upon arrival, these teams fell into the same trap. Israeli forces surrounded them and opened fire directly, despite the ambulances being clearly marked and their emergency lights activated. The scene turned into a theater of a deliberate and complete crime.
Rafat Radwan: A Silenced Witness
Among the victims was 23-year-old Rafat Anwar Radwan, a volunteer with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) for three years.
In his final moments, he recorded a message to his mother on his phone, saying, “Forgive me, Mom. This is the path I chose. I wanted to help people… I swear I took this path only to help them.” His voice remains a haunting testament to the tragedy.
Rafat and his colleagues were later found in a mass grave, some with their hands bound. The shocking scene prompted dozens of humanitarian organizations to demand an independent international investigation into the crime.
The Sole Survivor: A Voice from the Ashes
Mother Abed, a volunteer paramedic and the sole survivor of the ambush, recounted the ordeal: “As soon as we arrived, we were met with a hail of bullets. I lay flat inside the ambulance, hearing only the final gasps of my colleagues… Then Israeli soldiers stormed the vehicle, tied me up, and beat me. They struck me with rifle butts, interrogated me about my name, address, and October 7… The more I answered, the more they beat me. I wished for death to escape the torture.”
After 15 hours of interrogation, he was released, carrying the weight of an unforgettable tragedy.
Hassan Al-Heela: A Father’s Heartbreak
Among the victims, a 23-year-old Mohammad Hasan Al-Heela, the eldest son of paramedic officer Hassan Al-Heela.
The grieving father spoke to “WAFA” with tears choking his voice: “I was in direct contact with him… I told him not to take the main road, but he insisted… Then I heard his voice for the last time: ‘Dad, help us… the army is targeting us!’ And the line went dead.”
For nine days, the family clung to faint hope, believing he might have been captured due to his paramedic uniform. But, as always, the occupation extinguished even that hope.
Hasan described his son: “Mohammad was kind and compassionate. Losing him is unbearable, but he died fasting, having prayed Fajr, with a Quran in his pocket. Our only solace is that he departed in purity.”
The Recovery: A Mission Like No Other
Ibrahim Abu Al-Kass, a paramedic officer who participated in recovering the bodies, described the harrowing experience: “We coordinated with the Red Cross, the United Nations, and rescue teams. Using basic equipment, we began searching… Each body we lifted revealed another, until the horrific scene was complete… 15 humanitarian workers, executed in cold blood.”
Institutions Speak Out, Justice Remains Elusive
Raed Al-Namas, Media Director of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Gaza, told WAFA: “The targeting of our paramedic teams in Rafah constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits attacks on medical service providers during conflicts. There must be serious international action to stop these assaults and ensure the freedom of medical and humanitarian work without targeting by occupation forces.”
Ala’ Skafi, the Gaza Director of Ad-Dameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, emphasized: “Protecting humanitarian workers and medical staff is a fundamental principle of international law. The Geneva Conventions stipulate that medical personnel, including paramedics and doctors, as well as ambulances, must receive special protection. Attacking these teams is a war crime under Article 18 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The 1977 First Protocol underscores the need for clear distinction and protection for civil defense and relief workers during wars. Customary international humanitarian law—Rules 31, 32, and 33—prohibits any assault on these workers and obligates parties to facilitate their work, not hinder it. Any attack on these workers is a blatant violation that must be prosecuted without leniency.”
Paramedic As’ad Al-Nassasra: Detained
More than three weeks after the horrific massacre, the Red Crescent announced on Sunday that it had been informed by the International Committee of the Red Cross that paramedic As’ad Al-Nassasra is detained in Israeli prisons. His fate had been unknown since he was targeted alongside other paramedics in Rafah.
In a statement, the Red Crescent called on the international community to pressure Israeli authorities for the immediate release of Al-Nassasra, who was forcibly abducted while performing his humanitarian duties.
He and his colleagues were subjected to heavy gunfire, resulting in the killing of eight paramedics in a grave violation of international humanitarian law.
The slain medics are Mustafa Khafaja, Ezzedine Sha’at, Saleh Moammar, Rafat Radwan, Mohammad Bahloul, Ashraf Abu Lebda, Mohammad Al-Heela, and Raed Al-Sharif, bringing the total number of Red Crescent personnel killed in Gaza to 27 since the genocide began on October 7, 2023.
Dr. Haidar Al-Qudra, Executive Director of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Gaza, affirmed the organization’s commitment to its mission: “We have buried our martyrs, but we remain steadfast. We will not stop serving our people. The Red Crescent exists to serve the nation, no matter how severe the trials are.”
