Overview

• Fifteen Palestinian rescue workers, including paramedics and a UN staffer, were killed by Israeli forces on March 23, 2025, during a rescue mission in Rafah.
• Video evidence shows clearly marked ambulances with flashing emergency lights coming under fire, contradicting the Israeli military's initial claims that the vehicles were uncoordinated and lacked proper emergency signals.
• Autopsy findings indicate that the medics were shot in the upper body with intent to kill, prompting international organizations to demand an independent investigation.
• The Israeli military has backtracked on some of its initial justifications but maintains that six of those killed were Hamas operatives, a claim disputed by evidence and eyewitness accounts.
• Negotiations among the Israeli military, the UN, and Palestinian emergency services were required to recover the bodies, underscoring the operational challenges in conflict zones.