Palestinian medics say a video of Gaza rescue crews under fire refutes Israeli claims
TEL AVIV, Israel — Palestinian medical officials say they obtained video footage that refutes Israel’s claims about the killing of 15 rescue and aid workers in the southern Gaza Strip last month.
Israel’s military initially said “several vehicles were identified advancing suspiciously toward [Israeli] troops without headlights, or emergency signals” on March 23, and the soldiers opened fire.
But the Palestine Red Crescent Society released a video Saturday it said was found in a cellphone with one of the killed paramedics. It shows clearly marked rescue vehicles with headlights on and red emergency lights flashing. The video was filmed inside one of the vehicles in the convoy.
In the video, there is heavy gunfire over the course of several minutes, and a man’s voice says in Arabic, “Mom, forgive me. This is the path I chose, to help people.”
On Thursday, the Israel military said a high-level military investigation was taking place to determine whether to open a criminal investigation into misconduct over the March 23 incident.
“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,” the military said Saturday.
After the incident, the crew was missing for more than a week. Rescue teams finally discovered the bodies of 14 Palestinian emergency responders and a United Nations staffer under a mound of sand on March 31.
“One by one they were hit, they were struck. Their bodies were gathered and buried in this mass grave,” Jonathan Whittall, an official with the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said in a video at the site where the bodies were found. “They were here to save lives. Instead, they ended up in a mass grave. … It’s an absolute horror what happened here.”
The U.N. says 408 aid workers have been killed in more than 17 months of war in Gaza.
Israel is expanding its military offensive in Gaza after breaking a ceasefire in the war that followed the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel. Israel says it’s fighting to pressure the Palestinian militant group to release hostages and defeat Hamas.
Israeli fire strikes journalists and children in Gaza
Israeli forces on Wednesday killed at least 11 Palestinians in Gaza, including two boys, three journalists and a woman, hospitals said, on one of the enclave 's deadliest days since the ceasefire took effect.
Autopsy finds Cuban immigrant in ICE custody died of homicide due to asphyxia
A Cuban migrant held in solitary confinement at an immigration detention facility in Texas died after guards held him down, according to an autopsy report released Wednesday that ruled the death a homicide.
Confused by all the notices issued for intense winter weather? Here’s your guide
The National Weather Service issues a litany of notices before and during inclement weather events. They can be important signals on how to respond.
A massive winter storm will hit large parts of the U.S. through the weekend
A large storm system is expected to hit this weekend, with snow and ice from Texas to the Carolinas and up the Eastern seaboard. The winter system could bring more than a foot of snow.
House Oversight panel votes to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress
Republicans on the committee have been seeking to question the Clintons as part of a probe into the government's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. The vote sends the matter to the full House.
Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s former personal attorney, exits Virginia prosecutor’s office
The move comes after a federal judge wrote in court document that the "charade of Ms. Halligan masquerading as the United States Attorney … must come to an end."
