Hamas, Palestine Red Crescent urge independent probe into Israel’s killing of aid workers

Hamas and the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) have called for an independent investigation into the killing of aid workers in the Gaza Strip, after new video evidence emerged showing Israeli forces firing on clearly identifiable ambulances. 

“This irrefutable visual evidence shatters the occupation’s fabricated ‘suspicious movement’ lies, proving systematic targeting of humanitarian personnel and constituting a premeditated murder under international law,” a statement from the Gaza-based Palestinian group read.

“We demand international justice for the victims of this heinous crime,” it added.

Hamas’s comments come as video evidence shows Palestinian medics wearing highly reflective uniforms and a clearly identifiable Red Crescent ambulance being shot at by Israeli forces.

The video appears to contradict a version of the incident by the Israeli army that “several uncoordinated vehicles were identified advancing suspiciously toward [Israeli army] troops without headlights or emergency signals”.

PRCS president demands independent probe into medic killings

President of the PRCS, Younes al-Khatib, also demanded an independent investigation, emphasizing that Israeli military-led probes cannot be trusted.

“We don't trust any of the army investigations, and this is why we were very clear in saying that we need an independent inquiry into this,” al-Khatib said at a news conference at UN headquarters in New York, referring to the attack that killed 15 medics and humanitarian workers in Gaza.

He condemned increasing attacks on humanitarian workers and facilities, stressing that the Red Crescent emblem, which should be protected under international law, is being targeted instead.

“More and more Red Cross and Red Crescent people are being targeted throughout the world. This is an emblem that needs to be protected, but it is not,” he said.

Khatib revealed that the 15 aid workers had been killed by Israel, with their bodies “targeted from a very close range.”

He emphasized that the PRCS had officially requested an independent investigation. "We have asked for this investigation. We have asked for an independent investigation to be conducted, and we will pursue that," he said.

Khatib also condemned the targeting of medical facilities in Gaza, calling it a deliberate strategy.

Footage reveals aid workers killed in Gaza under Israeli fire, debunking regime’s claims

Newly obtained footage has shed light on the killing of Palestinian aid workers in Gaza by Israeli forces under heavy gunfire, directly contradicting the regime’s earlier claims that the workers were “advancing suspiciously” without headlights or emergency signals.

Gaza media office: Israel brutally executed medics in Rafah

Additionally, the Gaza Government Media Office stated that the Israeli military carried out a “brutal and unprecedented” execution of medical and civil defense teams in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah on March 23.

The media office condemned the incident, calling it “another crime added to the occupation's black record.”

It emphasized that the footage “completely disproves the Israeli occupation's false and misleading narrative” that the vehicles approached “suspiciously” without clear signals, saying the footage “exposed the lies of the Israeli military.”

This crime is a “flagrant violation of all international conventions,” and it held the international community responsible for its silence, it added.

The office called for an “independent international investigation” into the execution of the medical and civil defense teams, as well as for truth-finding missions to visit the targeted sites and mass graves where Israel “concealed the horrors of its ongoing genocide.”

It urged for the immediate protection of humanitarian teams operating in Gaza.

The Israeli military launched a surprise aerial assault on the Gaza Strip on March 18, killing over 1,200 people, injuring more than 3,000 others, and shattering the ceasefire agreement with the resistance movement Hamas and the deal on the exchange of Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners.

According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, at least  50,669 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and 115,225 other individuals have been injured in the brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 7, 2023.

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