IDF killed Gaza medics with headshots and explosive rounds, postmortems reveal
Members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society carry the bodies of their fellow paramedics who were killed by Israeli forces in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. PHOTO: REUTERS
Autopsies carried out on 14 of the 15 Palestinian rescue workers killed by Israeli forces in southern Gaza last month have revealed gunshot wounds to the head and torso, as well as blast injuries caused by explosive munitions, a forensic pathologist in Gaza said on Wednesday.
Ahmed Dhair, who led the postmortems, said the victims included personnel from the Palestinian Red Crescent, civil defence, and United Nations agencies. His findings included evidence of “explosive bullets,” with fragments found in several bodies. “In one case, the bullet head had exploded in the chest,” he told The Guardian.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has acknowledged carrying out the strike but has changed its account amid contradictory evidence. Footage showed ambulances under fire, and the United Nations later said the workers were buried in a sandy mass grave by Israeli troops, suggesting summary executions.
Israel claims, without releasing evidence, that six of the unarmed workers were affiliated with Hamas — an assertion denied by the Red Crescent.
Human rights organisations and medical charities said the autopsy findings deepen concerns over potential violations of international humanitarian law. Amnesty International has previously called Israel’s blockade of Gaza “a crime against humanity.”
The killings occurred during a humanitarian rescue operation. The convoy was reportedly unarmed and marked, and the workers were in uniform. No evidence of restraint was found, though one body showed wrist bruising potentially linked to binding.
The UN and aid groups continue to condemn Israeli restrictions on humanitarian access to Gaza. Médecins Sans Frontières described the territory as a “mass grave,” citing widespread civilian suffering.
More than 51,000 Palestinians have died since the conflict erupted in October 2023, Gaza’s health ministry reports. Israeli officials say no aid will enter Gaza until Hamas releases the remaining hostages from the October attacks.
Israel's government, facing international scrutiny, has said the incident is under internal investigation.