Italian
The Israeli army has admitted errors and violations of military procedures in the killing of 15 humanitarian workers in a southern Gaza area last month, including paramedics from the Red Crescent, civil defense members, and a United Nations employee. Following an internal investigation, a deputy commander of the Golani brigade, who was responsible on the ground at the time of the attack, has been removed from their position.
RAFAH. The incident, which occurred at dawn on March 23 near Rafah, has sparked international outrage. Rescuers were engaged in a rescue mission when they were fired upon by Israeli forces. Their bodies were found days later in a sandy pit, next to the destroyed vehicles. Contrary to the initial IDF version, which stated that the vehicles did not have visible emergency signals, a video found on the cellphone of one of the paramedics proved otherwise.
According to a statement released on Sunday by the Israeli armed forces, the investigation revealed “professional errors, violations of operational directives, and incomplete and inaccurate communication of the incident.” In addition to the dismissal of the deputy commander, another officer will be sanctioned for overall responsibility for the operation.
However, the report does not foresee any criminal consequences for the soldiers involved and states that there have been no violations of the army’s ethical code. The conclusions will be forwarded to the Military Prosecutor General. The decision has sparked controversy: the Minister of Public Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, described the removal of the commander as “a serious mistake.”
The Red Crescent has strongly rejected the findings of the investigation, accusing Israel of trying to reduce the incident to a simple individual error. Many human rights lawyers have also criticized the inquiry, arguing that it lacks independence as it is conducted by the same army involved.
The IDF report, on the other hand, states that six of the victims were affiliated with Hamas.
The army spoke of an “operational misunderstanding” due to poor nighttime visibility, which led the commander to believe that the vehicles were being used by militants.
