Crowds of mourners attended funerals on Monday for some of the 15 emergency responders who were found dead the previous day after being killed by Israeli strikes during a ground operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
The bodies of the 15 workers were recovered on Sunday after they were found buried in a hole which was described as resembling a "mass grave" in the Tal al-Sultan area of Rafah, after they were reportedly targeted by an Israeli army attack on March 23.
Among the 15 victims recovered were eight from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, six from the Palestinian Civil Defense, and one staff member from the United Nations' relief agency for Palestinian refugees.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies labeled it as the deadliest attack on its medics anywhere in the world for many years.
A UN statement said the bodies were found alongside the wrecked emergency vehicles belonging to the victims, which were "clearly marked ambulances, a fire truck, and a UN car," raising serious questions about the attack.
The Palestinian Civil Defense Service has described the incident as a heinous crime that should be punished under international law.
A spokesman for the Civil Defense said the medics had been missing for around a week until they were tragically found with horrific injuries inflicted, indicting the brutality of the attack perpetrated by the Israeli forces.
"Our crews have completed the recovery of the bodies of the martyrs who died in the barracks area in Rafah, after losing contact with them. This includes both members of the Civil Defense and the Palestinian Red Crescent. During the recovery operations, we witnessed shocking scenes that the Israeli occupation forces had placed the bodies in a hole more than two meters deep. We also saw one crew member bound and stripped of his clothes. There were direct shots to the head and chest as well. This clearly demonstrates that the occupation forces carried out a massacre," said Mahmoud Basal, the spokesman.
The Israeli military claimed it opened fire after the vehicles had been "advancing suspiciously." It had earlier claimed to have killed several personnel it believed connected with Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.
Funeral held for emergency responders killed in Israeli attack in southern Gaza
Funeral held for emergency responders killed in Israeli attack in southern Gaza
