A mobile phone video released by the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has raised serious questions about the Israeli military’s version of events surrounding a deadly attack on March 23 that killed 15 emergency workers in Gaza.

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The footage, recorded in the dark, shows a convoy of ambulances and a fire truck moving with both headlights and emergency lights switched on. Moments later, the vehicles come under heavy fire. According to the PRCS, the video was found on the phone of a paramedic who died in the incident.

This directly challenges Israel's earlier claim that the vehicles were unlit and may not have been recognised as medical units. After the video became public, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC, “All claims, including the documentation circulating about the incident, will be thoroughly and deeply examined to understand the sequence of events and the handling of the situation.”

One paramedic who survived the attack had already told the BBC that the vehicles were clearly marked as ambulances and had both internal and external lights turned on.

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The PRCS said the video was also shown to members of the UN Security Council. It captures the ambulances coming to a stop with lights still flashing and emergency responders stepping out wearing reflective uniforms. The sound of gunfire follows soon after. The man filming can be heard praying before the video ends. He was later confirmed among the dead.

His body, along with those of other victims, was recovered from a shallow grave near the wrecked vehicles nearly a week after the attack. The dead included eight PRCS paramedics, six members of Gaza’s Civil Defence, and one UN staff member. International organisations had to wait several days before they were allowed safe access to the area.

Israel has claimed that the ambulances were carrying fighters from Hamas and Islamic Jihad but has offered no evidence. The IDF maintains its stance, with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar saying, “The IDF did not randomly attack an ambulance.”

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The military has said it will carry out a full investigation, especially after survivors and families of the victims questioned its account.

What was their crime for them to be killed like this?

Bilal Moamer, the brother of 45-year-old Red Crescent paramedic Saleh Moamer, told The Guardian, “When the bodies arrived, they were wrapped in white shrouds with their names written on them. I was the one who uncovered my brother’s face, and I began to wonder if it was really him.” He said the body was confirmed to be his brother by the ring on his finger.

“There were marks from restraints on Saleh’s wrists where the Israeli army had bound him. His fingers were also broken,” he added. Two other witnesses said some of the victims had been found with hands or feet tied.

Bilal also criticised Israel’s claim that the victims were militants. “These paramedics were providing humanitarian services. They did not pose any threat or carry weapons. What was their crime for them to be killed like this?” he said.

Sobhi Bahloul, 63, was one of the relatives who rushed to the morgue at Nasser Hospital to look for his son Mohammad, a Red Crescent volunteer.

“We never expected this to happen – not even in our worst nightmares,” he told The Guardian. “They went to save lives, only to become victims themselves,” Sobhi added.

(With inputs from agencies)