An Israeli army investigation into the deaths of 15 Palestinian medics in Gaza final month concluded Sunday {that a} sequence of “professional failures” led to the lethal incident.
A deputy commander can be dismissed – probably the most extreme punishment of the 18-month-long struggle.
The Israeli army initially claimed the medics’ automobiles lacked emergency alerts when troops opened fireplace.
However, after video footage surfaced from one medic’s cellphone, the army revised its account.
The footage confirmed ambulances with flashing lights and logos as they approached to assist one other ambulance underneath assault.
The lethal capturing occurred on March 23 throughout a army operation in Tel al-Sultan, a district in southern Gaza’s Rafah.
Eight Red Crescent staff, six Civil Defense workers, and a U.N. worker had been killed after Israeli forces opened fireplace for over 5 minutes.
The our bodies had been bulldozed right into a mass grave, and rescue groups had been unable to achieve the positioning for per week.
The investigation revealed that the deputy battalion commander, misjudging the scenario because of poor night time visibility, believed the ambulances had been being utilized by Hamas.
Despite the automobiles’ clear emergency markings, troops, together with the deputy commander who fired first, opened fireplace on the medics.
Israeli forces additionally focused a Palestinian U.N. automobile quarter-hour later, breaching orders.
The investigation discovered no proof of execution-style killings or that the victims had been certain earlier than or after being shot, as some reviews had claimed.
The army described the incident as an “operational misunderstanding.”
No weapons had been discovered within the medics’ automobiles, and Maj. Gen. Yoav Har-Even, head of the army’s investigative department, confirmed that no paramedic was armed.
Despite the investigation’s conclusion, the Israeli army’s actions raised issues about its therapy of civilian and humanitarian targets.
The our bodies had been eliminated to clear a route for evacuation later that day, in response to the army.
The deputy commander was dismissed for giving an inaccurate report in regards to the U.N. automobile incident, which additionally resulted in a fatality.
The army expressed remorse over the hurt precipitated however burdened that there was no try to hide the occasion.
The findings have been forwarded to the Military Advocate General for potential expenses, although investigations by exterior events into these killings stay absent.
The assault on the medics is a part of a broader sample of Israeli army actions which have resulted within the deaths of over 150 emergency responders, in response to the U.N., and over 1,000 well being staff.
Israel has accused Hamas of utilizing ambulances and hospitals to cover its members, justifying assaults on these targets – a declare that medical personnel largely deny.
Despite these investigations, Palestinians and worldwide human rights teams accuse Israel of failing to completely examine or maintain troopers accountable for such incidents.
The army at the moment investigates 421 incidents in Gaza, with 51 despatched to the Military Advocate General for assessment.
Israel’s ongoing army operation in Gaza, which started following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 incursion on southern Israel has resulted in over 51,000 Palestinian deaths, principally ladies and youngsters.
The struggle has displaced round 90% of Gaza’s inhabitants, with widespread destruction to houses and meals manufacturing.
The worldwide neighborhood, together with the International Criminal Court (ICC), has voiced issues about potential struggle crimes by Israeli officers, together with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former protection minister Yoav Gallant.
Israel, nevertheless, insists its authorized system is able to investigating these issues.
Source: www.dailysabah.com