ALBAWABA- Israel has been accused of executing Palestinian paramedics after 15 bodies were discovered in a mass grave in Gaza, with some victims found tied up and shot in the head, according to reports.
The bodies, belonging to members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Palestinian Civil Defence (PCD), and the UN Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA), were uncovered on Sunday after a week-long rescue operation, the UN confirmed.
The paramedics had been dispatched on March 23 to evacuate wounded civilians in Rafah amid escalating Israeli military operations.
According to eyewitness accounts, Israeli forces advancing in the area opened fire on the clearly marked humanitarian workers.
Video footage taken near Tal as-Sultan by a UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) rescue party showed a crushed UN vehicle, ambulances, and a fire truck, flattened and partially buried in sand by Israeli military equipment.
A forensic doctor at Nasser Hospital, cited by The Guardian, confirmed signs of summary execution, stating that bullets were aimed at victims' heads and hearts, with one body showing seven gunshot wounds.
Another body was reportedly so mutilated it was unrecognizable due to being mauled by dogs.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk condemned the attack and called for an independent investigation into what appears to be a systematic execution of aid workers.
“The discovery of the bodies buried next to their clearly destroyed vehicles is deeply disturbing,” he said, adding that it raises “serious concerns about the conduct of the Israeli army.”
In a statement reinforcing the intent behind such killings, Israel’s Shin Bet Chief declared that assassinations in Gaza “will continue and intensify.”
Israeli Major General Idan Mizrahi also confirmed a direct link between targeted assassinations in Gaza and Beirut.
The incident would amount to a severe war crime, further exacerbating international outrage over Israel’s actions in Gaza.
