Revelations of Israel Killing Healthcare Workers Emerge in “Forgive me, mother”
Footage has emerged showing the moments when Israeli forces killed 15 health and civil defense workers who were aiding the injured in an attack in the southern Gaza Strip.
Israel’s atrocities have once again been documented.
The footage shows the direct targeting of an ambulance and a fire truck carrying 15 health and civil defense workers coming to the aid of the wounded in an attack by the Israeli army in Tel es-Sultan in the southern Gaza Strip on March 23.
According to The New York Times, the footage was obtained from the mobile phone of a deceased health worker found in a mass grave where Israeli soldiers buried the 15 health and civil defense workers.
Contrary to Israel’s claims, the video clearly shows that the vehicles used by the healthcare workers were ambulances, as Israeli soldiers opened fire on the health and civil defense teams as soon as they arrived to help the injured.
In the video, shot from the front of one of the vehicles carrying the health and civil defense teams, it can be observed that the convoy consisted of ambulances and a fire truck, displaying clear signs that they were on a life-saving mission.
The footage captures the convoy of ambulances and fire trucks with emergency lights flashing, stopping on the side of the road, with one vehicle believed to be a previously dispatched ambulance for aid parked in front of them.
The video shows the direct shooting at the first aid team in uniform, with the attack lasting for about 5 minutes.
“MOTHER, FORGIVE ME, THIS IS THE PATH I CHOSE”
In the unreleased part of the video, the healthcare worker recording can be heard reciting the Muslim declaration of faith and expressing his regret, saying, “Forgive me, mother. This is the path I chose; to help people.”
For a while, the groans of the healthcare workers and the harsh voices of the soldiers speaking in Hebrew can be heard in the background, although their exact words are indecipherable.
Nebal Farsakh, a Spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent, reported in an interview that the deceased health worker who recorded the video was found with a bullet to the head in a mass grave.
Furthermore, it was mentioned in the report that the identity of the health worker was being kept secret for now due to the possibility of reprisals against his relatives in Gaza by Israel.
EXHUMED DURING THE HOLIDAY
Jonathan Whittall, a senior humanitarian affairs officer for the United Nations in the occupied Palestinian territories, made statements at the mass grave where 15 health and civil defense workers were buried by Israeli soldiers.
Whittall mentioned that each health and civil defense worker was shot individually, their bodies collected and buried in a mass grave. He emphasized that they had been taken out from the grave dressed in their uniforms and gloves, as they were there to save lives but were laid to rest in a mass grave instead.
The bodies of 8 Palestinian Red Crescent members, 6 Palestinian Civil Defense Organization members, and 1 United Nations staff were exhumed by Israeli soldiers on the first day of the Ramadan holiday on March 30.
VIDEO CONTRADICTS ISRAEL’S DENIALS
As Israel continues to systematically target health and civil defense personnel in its attacks on Gaza since October 7, it has garnered widespread international condemnation, yet Tel Aviv continues to deny these attacks.
Defense Minister Gideon Saar defended the Israeli soldiers, claiming that they did not target an ambulance at random but said the vehicle was coming towards them suspiciously.
In an announcement made earlier this week by the Israeli Army Spokesperson’s Unit, it was claimed that contrary to what the footage revealed, the soldiers opened fire because the vehicles were advancing “suspiciously without their lights on or emergency signals activated.”
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Palestine Red Crescent announced on March 23 that four ambulances sent to rescue the wounded in the attack in Rafah were surrounded by the Israeli army, leading to injuries among health workers inside.
On the same day, the Civil Defense Unit in Gaza lost contact with the health workers under the Palestine Red Crescent going to rescue the individuals caught in the attacks.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza stated that some of the individuals targeted and found dead in Rafah had their hands tied, had been shot in the head and chest, and were buried deep in a pit.
