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

Fifteen Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in three separate incidents in Rafah on March 23. The United Nations said they were medics and rescue staff.

A screenshot taken from a video published by the Palestinian Red Crescent and obtained from cellphone of killed paramedic, shows the last moments during the incident in which aid workers were killed in Israeli fire, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent, in the southern Gaza Strip, on March 23, 2025. Palestinian Red Crescent/Handout via Reuters

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on April 20 that its troops opened fire on ambulances in a series of incidents in Gaza on March 23 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 stated that 15 Palestinians were killed in three separate shooting incidents in Gaza. Of those killed, it said, six were identified “in a retrospective examination” as Hamas terrorists.