Israeli Military Faces Scrutiny Over Gaza Tragedy

An Israeli military review into the deaths of 15 emergency responders in Gaza revealed professional failures and breaches of orders, though it found no intent to conceal the incident. The responders, killed on March 23, were mistakenly targeted by troops who misidentified them as threats. A deputy commander faces dismissal.

The Israeli military has conducted a review of an incident resulting in the deaths of 15 emergency responders in Gaza, uncovering professional failures and breaches of orders, but no attempt to hide the event.

The responders were killed on March 23 near Rafah, and their bodies were later discovered in a shallow grave by UN officials and the Palestinian Red Crescent. The military plans to reprimand a commanding officer and dismiss a deputy commander over the incident, attributed to soldiers mistakenly perceiving a threat.

The military reported that soldiers, acting on misinterpretations in low visibility, fired upon what they believed were enemy vehicles but turned out to be emergency vehicles. Despite the military's claims, video evidence released by the Palestinian Red Crescent contradicts these assertions, showing marked emergency vehicles being fired upon.

(With inputs from agencies.)