**Israeli Soldiers’ Account Challenged by Mobile Phone Footage**
A disturbing video has emerged that appears to contradict Israel’s explanation of a deadly attack on a convoy of ambulances, fire trucks, and rescue workers in the Gaza Strip. The footage, reportedly filmed by a paramedic who was killed in the incident, shows vehicles with emergency lights and headlights on, moving slowly down a road before coming under fire.
According to initial reports from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), soldiers opened fire on “several uncoordinated cars” that were approaching troops without emergency signals or headlights. However, paramedics who survived the attack say that the ambulances were clearly marked with their internal and exterior lights on.
**Graphic Video Reveals Devastation**
The mobile phone footage, published by The New York Times, shows two paramedics stepping out of one of the marked vehicles as it comes to a stop. The video then captures the sound of shooting and the paramedic who filmed the footage praying before he is believed to have been killed.
The footage was discovered on the phone of one of the paramedics who died in the attack. His body was recovered from a shallow burial, along with those of eight other paramedics, six Gaza Civil Defence employees, and a UN employee.
**Israel’s Claim Under Scrutiny**
Israel initially claimed that several Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists were killed in the incident, but provided no evidence to support this claim. The IDF has since promised to investigate after a paramedic who survived questioned their account.
Munther Abed, a paramedic who spoke to the BBC, said that the ambulances had all lights on until they came under direct fire. He denied any militant links and emphasized that the crews were civilian and only intended to save lives.
**Demand for Accountability**
The President of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Dr Younis al-Khatib, has demanded an independent and impartial investigation into the incident. He referred to a video recording and said that one of the paramedics who was killed had begged forgiveness from his mother before he died, saying “I only wanted to help people”.
The incident on 23 March remains shrouded in mystery, with one paramedic still unaccounted for. The graphic video footage has raised serious questions about Israel’s account of events and highlighted the need for a thorough investigation into this tragic incident.
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