Two men share their experiences from the deadly incident as international humanitarian concerns grow.
Eyewitness Accounts of Deadly Israeli Assault on Gaza Medics
Eyewitness Accounts of Deadly Israeli Assault on Gaza Medics
Witnesses recount harrowing details of an Israeli attack that killed emergency responders in Gaza.
In the early hours of March 23 in Rafah, Gaza, a convoy of emergency services faced a tragic turn of events that would shake the region. The team had assembled to search for missing colleagues who had vanished while on a rescue mission earlier in the day. Among the group were ambulances and a fire truck, poised to assist those in distress.
At that moment, Munther Abed, a 27-year-old volunteer paramedic, remained tense and alert. Comprising those driving the ambulances, the convoy approached the last known location of their missing peers, which coincidentally was near a cluster of U.N. warehouses. However, exposing the grim reality of the situation, Israeli soldiers stationed nearby opened fire upon the paramedics.
Abed had already endured a traumatic ordeal; earlier, an Israeli attack on the missing ambulance led to the death of two team members. Following this incident, he found himself detained by the same forces that posed an imminent threat to the medical team. Alongside him was Dr. Saeed al-Bardawil, a 55-year-old physician, who had been apprehended earlier while fishing with his son.
In the days that followed, both men shared their harrowing tales during interviews arranged by The New York Times. Their accounts detailed the circumstances leading to a tragedy noted by the United Nations, which recently identified the bodies of 15 rescue workers—including eight from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, six from Gaza’s Civil Defense, and one U.N. representative—in a mass grave, reportedly resulting from the Israeli attack.
Although independent verification of the details remains elusive, the eyewitness narratives align with previously unconfirmed video evidence that surfaced from the cellphone of a deceased paramedic. The footage recorded a fusillade of gunfire coinciding with the dawn as the convoy was ambushed.
As calls for accountability increase, the international community is left grappling with the implications of these reports on the ongoing conflict and the dire need for humanitarian protection for medical personnel in conflict zones.
At that moment, Munther Abed, a 27-year-old volunteer paramedic, remained tense and alert. Comprising those driving the ambulances, the convoy approached the last known location of their missing peers, which coincidentally was near a cluster of U.N. warehouses. However, exposing the grim reality of the situation, Israeli soldiers stationed nearby opened fire upon the paramedics.
Abed had already endured a traumatic ordeal; earlier, an Israeli attack on the missing ambulance led to the death of two team members. Following this incident, he found himself detained by the same forces that posed an imminent threat to the medical team. Alongside him was Dr. Saeed al-Bardawil, a 55-year-old physician, who had been apprehended earlier while fishing with his son.
In the days that followed, both men shared their harrowing tales during interviews arranged by The New York Times. Their accounts detailed the circumstances leading to a tragedy noted by the United Nations, which recently identified the bodies of 15 rescue workers—including eight from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, six from Gaza’s Civil Defense, and one U.N. representative—in a mass grave, reportedly resulting from the Israeli attack.
Although independent verification of the details remains elusive, the eyewitness narratives align with previously unconfirmed video evidence that surfaced from the cellphone of a deceased paramedic. The footage recorded a fusillade of gunfire coinciding with the dawn as the convoy was ambushed.
As calls for accountability increase, the international community is left grappling with the implications of these reports on the ongoing conflict and the dire need for humanitarian protection for medical personnel in conflict zones.
