UN officials have reported the recovery of the bodies of eight Red Crescent medics, six civil defense members, and one UN employee who were shot by Israeli forces over a week ago. These bodies were discovered in a grave in the sand located in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), stated on the social media platform X that the bodies were “discarded in shallow graves – a profound violation of human dignity.”
In a statement late last night, the International Committee of the Red Cross expressed its “appall” at the deaths.
“Their bodies were identified today and have been recovered for dignified burial. These staff and volunteers were risking their own lives to provide support to others,” the statement said.
No immediate comments were made regarding the specifics of the site where the bodies were uncovered.
#Gaza: it is devastating to confirm the deaths of two additional @UNRWA colleagues alongside 8 Palestinian Red Crescent aid workers & first responders.
This raises the death toll of aid workers killed to 408, including over 280 UNRWA staff members since the onset of the war 1.5 years ago.
The body…
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) March 31, 2025
The group had been missing since March 23, following Israel’s resumption of an all-out offensive against Hamas earlier this month.
The Palestine Red Crescent reported that they also recovered the bodies of six civil defense members and a UN employee from the same vicinity.
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It was reported that Israeli forces specifically targeted these workers.
The Israeli military stated that an inquiry found that on March 23, troops opened fire on a group of vehicles that included ambulances and fire trucks as they approached a position without prior coordination and without headlights or emergency signals.
The military claimed several militants belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad were killed.
At least 1,060 healthcare workers have been killed in the 18 months since Israel began its offensive in Gaza.
Jonathan Whittall, the Gaza head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, described the location where the bodies were found as a “mass grave,” mentioning it was marked by the emergency light from a crushed ambulance.
His remarks on X were accompanied by images of Red Crescent teams excavating in the sand for the bodies beside a mangled fire truck and a UN vehicle.
Mr. Lazzarini noted that the deaths have brought the total number of aid workers killed since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza to 408.
This incident marks the deadliest attack on Red Cross or Red Crescent workers globally since 2017, according to the IFRC.
“I am heartbroken. These dedicated ambulance workers were responding to wounded individuals. They were humanitarians,” said IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain.
“They wore emblems that should have protected them; their ambulances were clearly marked,” he added.
The United Nations reported that at least 1,060 healthcare workers have lost their lives in the 18 months since Israel initiated its offensive in Gaza following Hamas fighters’ storming of southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Due to safety concerns, the UN is reducing its international staff in Gaza by a third.
