Latest news with #MohammedAl-Mughair
Asharq Al-Awsat
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Gaza Civil Defense Describes Medic Killings as 'Summary Executions'
Gaza's civil defense agency on Monday accused the Israeli military of carrying out "summary executions" in the killing of 15 rescue workers last month, rejecting the findings of an internal probe by the army. The medics and other rescue workers were killed when responding to distress calls near Gaza's southern city of Rafah early on March 23, days into Israel's renewed offensive in the Hamas-run territory, AFP reported. Among those killed were eight Red Crescent staff members, six from the Gaza civil defense rescue agency and one employee of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, according to the UN humanitarian agency OCHA and Palestinian rescuers. "The video filmed by one of the paramedics proves that the Israeli occupation's narrative is false and demonstrates that it carried out summary executions," Mohammed Al-Mughair, a civil defense official, told AFP, accusing Israel of seeking to "circumvent" its obligations under international law. Following the shooting, the Red Crescent released a video recovered from the phone of one of the victims. It does not show executions, but it does directly contradict the version of events initially put forward by the Israeli military. In particular, the video shows clearly that the ambulances were travelling with sirens, flashing lights and headlights on. The military had claimed the ambulances were travelling "suspiciously" and without lights. - Operational failures - The incident drew international condemnation, including concern about possible war crimes from UN human rights commissioner Volker Turk. An Israeli military investigation into the incident released on Sunday "found no evidence to support claims of execution" or "indiscriminate fire" by its troops, but admitted to operational failures and said it was firing a field commander. It said six of those killed were militants, revising an earlier claim that nine of the men were fighters. The dead, who were buried in sand by Israeli forces, were only recovered several days after the attack from what the UN human rights agency OCHA described as a "mass grave". The Palestine Red Crescent Society denounced the report as "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," Nebal Farsakh, spokesperson for the Red Crescent, told AFP. The Israeli investigation said there were three shooting incidents in the area on that day. In the first, soldiers shot at what they believed to be a Hamas vehicle. In the second, around an hour later, troops fired "on suspects emerging from a fire truck and ambulances", the military said. The probe determined that the fire in the first two incidents resulted from an "operational misunderstanding by the troops". In the third incident, the troops fired at a UN vehicle "due to operational errors in breach of regulations", the military said.
Int'l Business Times
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Gaza Civil Defence Describes Medic Killings As 'Summary Executions'
Gaza's civil defence agency on Monday accused the Israeli military of carrying out "summary executions" in the killing of 15 rescue workers last month, rejecting the findings of an internal probe by the army. The medics and other rescue workers were killed when responding to distress calls near Gaza's southern city of Rafah early on March 23, days into Israel's renewed offensive in the Hamas-run territory. Among those killed were eight Red Crescent staff members, six from the Gaza civil defence rescue agency and one employee of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, according to the UN humanitarian agency OCHA and Palestinian rescuers. "The video filmed by one of the paramedics proves that the Israeli occupation's narrative is false and demonstrates that it carried out summary executions," Mohammed Al-Mughair, a civil defence official, told AFP, accusing Israel of seeking to "circumvent" its obligations under international law. Following the shooting, the Red Crescent released a video recovered from the phone of one of the victims. It does not show executions, but it does directly contradict the version of events initially put forward by the Israeli military. In particular, the video shows clearly that the ambulances were travelling with sirens, flashing lights and headlights on. The military had claimed the ambulances were travelling "suspiciously" and without lights. The incident drew international condemnation, including concern about possible war crimes from UN human rights commissioner Volker Turk. An Israeli military investigation into the incident released on Sunday "found no evidence to support claims of execution" or "indiscriminate fire" by its troops, but admitted to operational failures and said it was firing a field commander. It said six of those killed were militants, revising an earlier claim that nine of the men were fighters. The dead, who were buried in sand by Israeli forces, were only recovered several days after the attack from what the UN human rights agency OCHA described as a "mass grave". The Palestine Red Crescent Society denounced the report as "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," Nebal Farsakh, spokesperson for the Red Crescent, told AFP. The Israeli investigation said there were three shooting incidents in the area on that day. In the first, soldiers shot at what they believed to be a Hamas vehicle. In the second, around an hour later, troops fired "on suspects emerging from a fire truck and ambulances", the military said. The probe determined that the fire in the first two incidents resulted from an "operational misunderstanding by the troops". In the third incident, the troops fired at a UN vehicle "due to operational errors in breach of regulations", the military said.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gaza civil defence describes medic killings as 'summary executions'
Gaza's civil defence agency on Monday accused the Israeli military of carrying out "summary executions" in the killing of 15 rescue workers last month, rejecting the findings of an internal probe by the army. The medics and other rescue workers were killed when responding to distress calls near Gaza's southern city of Rafah early on March 23, days into Israel's renewed offensive in the Hamas-run territory. Among those killed were eight Red Crescent staff members, six from the Gaza civil defence rescue agency and one employee of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, according to the UN humanitarian agency OCHA and Palestinian rescuers. "The video filmed by one of the paramedics proves that the Israeli occupation's narrative is false and demonstrates that it carried out summary executions," Mohammed Al-Mughair, a civil defence official, told AFP, accusing Israel of seeking to "circumvent" its obligations under international law. Following the shooting, the Red Crescent released a video recovered from the phone of one of the victims. It does not show executions, but it does directly contradict the version of events initially put forward by the Israeli military. In particular, the video shows clearly that the ambulances were travelling with sirens, flashing lights and headlights on. The military had claimed the ambulances were travelling "suspiciously" and without lights. - Operational failures - The incident drew international condemnation, including concern about possible war crimes from UN human rights commissioner Volker Turk. An Israeli military investigation into the incident released on Sunday "found no evidence to support claims of execution" or "indiscriminate fire" by its troops, but admitted to operational failures and said it was firing a field commander. It said six of those killed were militants, revising an earlier claim that nine of the men were fighters. The dead, who were buried in sand by Israeli forces, were only recovered several days after the attack from what the UN human rights agency OCHA described as a "mass grave". The Palestine Red Crescent Society denounced the report as "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," Nebal Farsakh, spokesperson for the Red Crescent, told AFP. The Israeli investigation said there were three shooting incidents in the area on that day. In the first, soldiers shot at what they believed to be a Hamas vehicle. In the second, around an hour later, troops fired "on suspects emerging from a fire truck and ambulances", the military said. The probe determined that the fire in the first two incidents resulted from an "operational misunderstanding by the troops". In the third incident, the troops fired at a UN vehicle "due to operational errors in breach of regulations", the military said. bur-az-dms/phy/dcp/ysm
Daily Mail
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
IDF troops are accused of carrying out 'summary executions' of 15 Gaza aid workers as Israel sacks deputy commander over the incident
Israeli troops have been accused of carrying out 'summary executions' of 15 aid workers in Gaza last month. Eight Red Crescent personnel, six Civil Defense workers and a UN staffer were killed in the shooting before dawn on March 23 by troops operating in Tel al-Sultan, a district of the southern Gaza city of Rafah. An internal military investigation suggested a chain of 'professional failures' that led to the incident, with a deputy IDF commander sacked as a result. But Gaza's civil defence agency have rejected the findings of the army's internal probe following the release of a video showing the ambulances fired upon had their lights flashing and visible logos showing they were emergency vehicles. Israel had claimed that the medical vehicles did not have emergency signals on when IDF troops opened fire, but backtracked after video footage recovered from one medic contradicted this account. The 15 paramedics and rescue workers, which included at least one UN employee, were found in a mass grave in southern Gaza a week after the incident. 'The video filmed by one of the paramedics proves that the Israeli occupation's narrative is false and demonstrates that it carried out summary executions,' Mohammed Al-Mughair, a civil defence official, told AFP, a day after an Israeli army probe denied any execution-style killings. He also accused Israel of seeking to 'circumvent' its obligations under international law. The military investigation found that the deputy battalion commander, 'due to poor night visibility,' assessed that the ambulances belonged to Hamas militants. The probe claimed there was 'no evidence to support claims of execution or that any of the deceased were bound before or after the shooting.' It said the Palestinians were killed due to an 'operational misunderstanding' by Israeli forces, and that a separate incident 15 minutes later, when Israeli soldiers shot at a Palestinian UN vehicle, was a breach of orders. The deputy commander who will be dismissed was the first to open fire and the rest of the soldiers also started shooting, according to the internal findings. No paramedic was armed and no weapons were found in any vehicle, Major Gen Yoav Har-Even, who is in charge of the military's investigative branch, told journalists. The army also said six of the aid workers killed were actually Hamas militants, but did not provide their names or give further evidence. Last night the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and the Israeli rights organisation Breaking the Silence rejected the findings. PRCS President Younis Al-Khatib said: 'It is incomprehensible why the occupation soldiers buried the bodies of the paramedics in a criminal manner. 'An independent and impartial investigation must be conducted by a UN body.' '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,' Nebal Farsakh, a PRCS spokesperson, added. 'Not every lie has a video to expose it, but this report doesn't even attempt to engage with the truth,' a spokesperson from Breaking the Silence said. 'Another day, another cover-up. More innocent lives taken, with no accountability.' Jonathan Whittall, a UN official in Gaza, added: 'A lack of real accountability undermines international law and makes the world a more dangerous place. 'Without accountability, we risk continuing to watch atrocities unfolding, and the norms designed to protect us all, eroding.' Ahmed Dhair, the forensic pathologist in Gaza who carried out autopsies on 14 out of the 15 victims, said they were mostly killed by gunshots to the head and torso, as well as injuries caused by explosives. He told the Guardian that he had found 'lacerations, entry wounds from bullets, and wounds resulting from explosive injuries', adding: 'These were mostly concentrated in the torso area – the chest, abdomen, back, and head.' Some far-right voices in the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believe the army is going too far in punishing the soldiers. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's ultranationalist national security minister, said the decision to dismiss the deputy commander was a 'grave mistake' that must be reversed. 'Our combat soldiers, who are sacrificing their lives in Gaza, deserve our full support,' he said. The incident highlighted the dangers facing humanitarian workers operating in Gaza. More than 400 aid workers and over 1,300 health workers have reportedly been killed in Gaza since the latest war broke out in October 2023, despite the requirement under international humanitarian law for humanitarian workers to be protected. Last year, three former British servicemen were among the victims of an Israeli air strike which killed seven aid workers in Gaza. Former Royal Marines James Henderson and John Chapman and an ex-Army soldier James Kirby were killed in a drone strike while providing security for the World Central Kitchen charity. In February Healthcare Workers Watch (HWW), a Palestinian medical NGO, said it had confirmed that 162 medical staff remained in Israeli detention, including some of Gaza's most senior physicians, and a further 24 were missing after being taken from hospitals during the conflict. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Gaza was the deadliest place on Earth for humanitarian workers. 'Recent aid worker deaths are a stark reminder. Those responsible must be held accountable,' he said earlier this month. Israel has accused Hamas of moving and hiding its fighters inside ambulances and emergency vehicles, as well as in hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, arguing that justifies strikes on them. Medical personnel largely deny the accusations. The Israeli military is currently investigating 421 incidents in Gaza during the war, with 51 concluded and sent to the Military Advocate General. Israel's offensive has since killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The war has destroyed vast parts of Gaza and most of its food production capabilities.
RTÉ News
21-04-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Gaza civil defence describes medic killings as 'summary executions'
Gaza's civil defence agency has accused the Israeli military of carrying out "summary executions" in the killing of 15 rescue workers last month, rejecting the findings of an internal probe by the army. "The video filmed by one of the paramedics proves that the Israeli occupation's narrative is false and demonstrates that it carried out summary executions," Mohammed Al-Mughair, a civil defence official, said, accusing Israel of seeking to "circumvent" its obligations under international law. The medics and other rescue workers were killed when responding to distress calls near Gaza's southern city of Rafah early on 23 March, days into Israel's renewed offensive in the territory. Among those killed were eight Red Crescent staff members, six from the Gaza civil defence rescue agency and one employee of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, according to the UN humanitarian agency OCHA and Palestinian rescuers. The incident drew international condemnation, including concern about possible war crimes from UN human rights commissioner Volker Turk. An Israeli military investigation into the incident released yesterday "found no evidence to support claims of execution" or "indiscriminate fire" by its troops, but admitted to operational failures and sacked a field commander. It said six of those killed were militants, revising an earlier claim that nine of the men were fighters. The Palestine Red Crescent Society denounced the report as "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," said Nebal Farsakh, spokesperson for the Red Crescent. Israel reprimands officer following review The Israeli military said a review into last month's killing of emergency responders in Gaza found there had been "several professional failures" and that a commander would be dismissed over the incident. The 15 paramedics and other rescue workers were shot dead on 23 March in three separate shootings at the same location near the southern Gaza city of Rafah. They were buried in a shallow grave where their bodies were found a week later by officials from the United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent. In a statement, the Israeli military said a commanding officer is to be reprimanded. A deputy commander, a reservist who was the field commander, will be dismissed from his position for providing an incomplete and inaccurate report, it said. "The examination identified several professional failures, breaches of orders, and a failure to fully report the incident," the military said. "The fire in the first two incidents resulted from an operational misunderstanding by the troops, who believed they faced a tangible threat from enemy forces. The third incident involved a breach of orders during a combat setting," it said. The military advocate general was conducting its own investigation and criminal charges could be pursued, according to the military. A video recovered from the mobile phone of one of the dead men and published by the Palestinian Red Crescent showed uniformed emergency responders and clearly marked ambulances and fire trucks, with their lights on, being fired on by soldiers.
