The paramedics and rescue workers killed in an Israeli shooting in Gaza last month died predominantly from gunshot wounds to the head or chest, alongside shrapnel injuries and other trauma, according to autopsy findings reviewed by The New York Times. The attack on March 23 resulted in 15 fatalities, including 14 rescue personnel from the Palestine Red Crescent Society and a United Nations employee. Eyewitness accounts, together with video evidence, confirmed that Israeli forces fired upon ambulances and a fire truck dispatched for rescue efforts.
Israel has acknowledged conducting the assault but has provided inconsistent justifications for targeting the emergency vehicles. They claimed—without substantiating evidence—that some casualties were affiliated with Hamas. The Israeli military declared it was probing the incident. However, the international community reacted strongly, labeling the attack as a potential war crime.
Autopsies conducted between April 1 and 5 revealed the nature of the injuries sustained by the victims, which was carried out by Dr. Ahmad Dhair, head of the Gazan health ministry’s forensic unit. Dr. Arne Stray-Pedersen, a forensic pathologist in Norway, reviewed these findings and contributed to a summary analysis. The bodies were allegedly buried in a mass grave, with many of the ambulances and fire trucks being destroyed and disposed of alongside them, drawing further criticism from international observers.
