The Israeli military on Sunday announced the dismissal of a deputy commander following an internal investigation into the killing of 15 emergency workers in Gaza on March 23 2025. The investigation found “several professional failures” but denied any attempt to conceal the incident.
In incidents on March 23, troops from the Golani Brigade, operating under the command of the reservist Armoured 14th Brigade, opened fire on emergency workers in Rafah. The attack drew international condemnation and calls for answers and justice. The victims included eight the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) personnel, six members of Gaza’s Civil Defence, and a United Nations (UN) employee. Their bodies were buried in a shallow grave, with their ambulances, a fire truck, and a UN-marked vehicle found bulldozed and buried.
An Israeli military probe into the killings concluded that they were the result of “several professional failures” and an “operational misunderstanding”. However the Israel Defense Force (IDF) maintained that troops acted “reasonably” and within the IDF’s rules of engagement. The deputy commander of the Golani Reconnaissance Battalion was dismissed for his role in the incident and for providing an “incomplete and inaccurate report.” An IDF spokesperson also said that another commanding officer will receive an official reprimand.
Major General Yoav Har-Even, who led the investigation, asserted that there was no evidence of unethical or immoral conduct. “We’re saying it was a mistake, we don’t think it’s a daily mistake” he added when questioned by journalists if this incident represented a pervasive issue within Israel’s military.
The IDF said its investigation found that 6 of the killed workers were Hamas members but produced no evidence of this. It acknowledged that the decision to crush and bury the vehicles was a mistake, but maintained there was “no attempt to conceal the event.”
🚨 Video That Exposes the Israeli Occupation’s Lies
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) April 5, 2025
The Palestine Red Crescent Society has obtained a video from the family of a martyred EMT, found on his mobile phone after his body was recovered from a mass grave in Gaza. He was among 15 ambulance and relief team members… pic.twitter.com/8iWqULxijC
The IDF initially reported that troops fired at a Hamas vehicle and that the vehicles did not have emergency signals but later backtracked on this. Video footage recovered from the phone of slain PRCS paramedic Rifaat Radwan contradicted Israeli accounts. The video showed that vehicles were clearly marked and with flashing emergency lights. In an article published Friday, Sky News presented further evidence contradicting Israel’s official account.
PRCS, who had called for an international investigation, rejected the findings of the Israeli probe. PRCS spokesperson, Nebal Farsakh told AFP “The report is full of lies. It is invalid and unacceptable, as it justifies the killing and shifts responsibility to a personal error in the field command when the truth is quite different”.
Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir criticised the decision to dismiss the deputy commander and urged for the decision to be reversed.
The report, which found no violations of the IDF’s code of ethics, has been sent to the Israeli military’s advocate general, who will determine if any charges will be filed.
The killings of the 15 emergency workers in Rafah are part of a growing death toll of humanitarian personnel in Gaza. According to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), more than 400 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since October 7 2023.
