The deaths of 15 medical personnel and humanitarian workers in Gaza, following gunfire directed at their ambulances by Israeli forces, have heightened concerns regarding potential “war crimes by the Israeli army,” according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
“I am deeply disturbed by the recent killings of 15 medical staff and humanitarian workers, which raise additional concerns regarding the possible commission of war crimes by the Israeli military,” stated Volker Turk before the UN Security Council.
This incident has occurred as Israel’s military announced it is investigating the deaths of the 15 Palestinian aid workers, who were killed last month when Israeli troops opened fire on ambulances.
The bodies were discovered in a shallow grave adjacent to Red Crescent vehicles, prompting international alarm.
The UN reported that 15 medics and humanitarian workers were killed.
On Sunday, the Palestinian Red Crescent announced that it had recovered the bodies of 15 rescuers after Israeli forces targeted ambulances in southern Gaza last month.
The bodies included eight medics from the Red Crescent, six members of Gaza’s civil defense agency, and one employee of a UN organization, according to a statement from the Red Crescent.
On Tuesday, the UN humanitarian office (OCHA) reported that a team of first responders was killed by Israeli forces on March 23, and that other emergency and aid teams were hit during several hours while they searched for their missing colleagues.
UN aid official Jonathan Whittall remarked yesterday that the mass grave in Rafah, where the 15 medics were found, exemplified the “war without limits” being waged by Israel in Gaza.
An Israeli military official claimed the army “contacted the organizations multiple times to arrange for the evacuation of the bodies, in line with operational constraints.”
“Acknowledging that the process might require time, the bodies were covered with sand and cloth sheets to prevent damage,” the official explained.
“The incident from March 23, 2025, in which IDF (military) forces opened fire on individuals they identified as terrorists advancing in ambulances, has been submitted to the General Staff’s fact-finding and assessment mechanism for investigation,” stated Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani.
The military has not officially addressed accusations that the bodies were discarded in a mass grave.
After a mission to Gaza revealed the mass grave, Mr. Whittall, head of OCHA in the Palestinian territories, expressed that “it was shocking” to see medical workers “still in their uniforms, still wearing gloves, killed while attempting to save lives.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also expressed shock at the killings.
“The secretary-general is dismayed by the attacks on a medical and emergency convoy by the Israeli army on March 23, which resulted in the deaths of 15 medical personnel and humanitarian workers in Gaza,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric declared during a briefing yesterday.
Gaza rescuers report that Israeli air strikes in the north have left at least 15 dead.
Additionally, Gaza’s civil defense agency indicated that Israeli air strikes in the northern region early on have resulted in at least 15 fatalities, while the military issued an evacuation order for residents in the area.
Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal stated that the strikes targeted multiple homes in Gaza City’s Shujaiya neighborhood, noting, “There are still several individuals trapped under the rubble.”
The Israeli military has issued a new evacuation order for residents of Shujaiya and some other northern districts in Gaza.
“The IDF (military) is operating with significant force in your areas to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure,” military spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X.
“You must immediately evacuate these areas and proceed to the designated shelters in western Gaza City.”
