The Israeli military has attributed the deaths of 15 emergency workers in Gaza last month to an "operational misunderstanding" and a breach of orders, following an internal investigation.
According to the BBC, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) inquiry revealed multiple failures in the incident. The deputy commander of the unit involved was dismissed for providing an incomplete and inaccurate account during the initial debrief.
The March 23 strike targeted a convoy that included Palestinian Red Crescent Society ambulances, a UN vehicle, and a fire truck. Fourteen aid workers and one UN staff member were killed when the convoy came under fire.
The IDF said its troops believed they were responding to a threat and claimed six of those killed were Hamas operatives. However, it provided no evidence linking the victims to Hamas, despite their identities being publicly known. The military also denied allegations of summary executions.
The report said the incident took place in what it called a hostile and dangerous combat zone, and that the commander on the ground perceived an immediate and tangible threat after vehicles approached rapidly. It blamed poor night visibility, which the IDF said meant the commander did not identify the vehicles as ambulances.
Israel had originally claimed troops opened fire but it later said that account was mistaken after a video found on the mobile phone of a medic who was killed showed the vehicles with their lights on and their emergency signals flashing.
The bodies of the 15 dead workers were buried in sand and not uncovered until a week after the incident because international agencies, including the UN, could not organise safe passage to the area or locate the spot.
The Red Crescent and several other international organisations have previously called for an independent investigation into the incident.
