The Israeli military has dismissed a commander after an investigation found a series of failures led to the deaths of 15 emergency workers in Gaza last month.
On March 23, Israeli troops opened fire on a convoy of emergency vehicles in Rafah, in southern Gaza. The convoy included ambulances from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), a UN vehicle, and a fire truck. Fourteen Red Crescent workers and one UN staff member were killed.
At first, the IDF claimed the vehicles approached in darkness without lights and had not coordinated with the military. But video recovered from one of the medics showed the vehicles had their headlights and emergency lights on. The IDF later admitted the initial claims were wrong.
The IDF said it dismissed the commander of Sayeret Golani unit, who led the troops involved in the incident, citing inaccuracies in his report.
The investigation, conducted by Maj. Gen. Yoav Har-Even found that while there were no violations of the IDF’s code of ethics in the incident, there were several “professional errors” and actions by troops that breached military protocol, as well as a failure to fully report the event.
Additionally, the IDF censured the commander of the 14th Reserve Armored Brigade, who oversaw the broader operation, for his overall responsibility for the incident and the handling of the scene afterward.
The IDF stated it “expresses regret for harming uninvolved [civilians],” emphasizing that the investigation aimed to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“The existing guidelines on the special caution required with regard to rescue forces and medical workers, even in areas of intense combat, were sharpened and clarified,” the IDF added.
