Israeli Military Says Its Troops Opened Fire at Rescue Vehicles in March After Identifying Them as Hamas Vehicles

Epoch Times

21-04-2025

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday that its troops opened fire on ambulances in a March 23 series of incidents in Gaza under the impression that they posed a threat to the IDF, citing the Hamas terrorist group's frequent use of such vehicles 'to transport terrorists and weapons.'
The IDF
In the first incident, the IDF said that its troops opened fire on a vehicle belonging to Hamas terrorists in the area, which put them on high alert for further potential threats.
The probe, citing supporting surveillance, found that a fire truck and ambulances stopped near the area where the troops were operating just an hour later, with passengers quickly disembarking.
The IDF said its soldiers shot the individuals under the impression that they posed 'an immediate and tangible threat' after a deputy battalion commander mistakenly recognized the ambulances as Hamas vehicles and ordered them to open fire.
'Due to poor night visibility, the deputy commander did not initially recognize the vehicles as ambulances. Only later, after approaching the vehicles and scanning them, was it discovered that these were indeed rescue teams,' it stated.
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The IDF said the incident occurred in a 'hostile combat and dangerous zone' and cited the complexity of 'confronting Hamas' repeated use of such infrastructure for terrorism, including using ambulances to transport terrorists and weapons.'
However, it found that there were 'several professional failures' and 'breaches of orders' during the incident. It said that in the third incident, Israeli forces fired on a United Nations vehicle due to 'operational errors.'
Following the investigation, the commanding officer was reprimanded and the deputy commander was dismissed for providing 'an incomplete and inaccurate report' about the incident.
The IDF said it 'regrets the harm caused to uninvolved civilians' and assured that it will ensure the reinforcement of existing protocols in areas where rescue teams are present, 'even in high-intensity combat zones.'
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on March 30 that its rescue team has recovered the bodies of 15 Palestinians, whom it claimed were medics and rescue workers from the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS), the Palestine Civil Defense, and the U.N.
'They were here to save lives. Instead, they ended up in a mass grave,' Jonathan Whittall, head of OCHA in the region, said in a March 30
Whittall alleged that Israeli forces used a bulldozer to bury the victims' bodies along with their vehicles in a mass grave.
In its
It said the decision to crush the vehicles was wrong but that there was no attempt to conceal the shootings, noting that it had discussed with the U.N. about the removal of bodies.
Footage of Incident
Israeli veterans' group Breaking the Silence has rejected the IDF investigation, saying that it was 'riddled with contradictions, vague phrasing, and selective details.'
'We all remember when the IDF claimed that the ambulances emergency lights weren't on—and then we saw the footage proving otherwise,' it
The group was referring to
That footage contradicted the IDF's
IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said on April 20 that initial reports were based on 'real-time updates from the forces on the ground.'
He said that the IDF later conducted a debrief, separate from the chain of command involved in the incident, which found the initial report to be faulty.
'There was never any intention to mislead or deceive the public or media. We have learned from this, implemented our lessons, and held those accountable responsible—both of the incident and the faulty report,' he
PRCS
Gaza has been at war since Hamas launched a surprise assault on Southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 Israelis and taking about 250 captive back to Gaza.
The death toll in Gaza, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry, has risen to about 51,000 as of April, although the numbers do not distinguish between combatants and civilians, and they are contested. The Epoch Times is unable to verify the claim.
Israel and Hamas entered into a six-week cease-fire deal on Jan. 19, during which thousands of prisoners were released by Israel in exchange for the release of hostages. The fighting resumed in March after negotiations stalled between the two sides.