Gaza / PNN /
Medical sources have reported that the bodies of paramedics recovered from the Tel Al-Sultan area in Rafah, southern Gaza, were found bound, indicating they had been detained before being executed.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) earlier confirmed the recovery of 14 bodies, including eight of its paramedics, five rescue workers, and a staff member of a UN agency. The group had been missing for eight days after Israeli forces besieged them.
Medical sources stated that "some of the bodies were bound, had been shot in the chest, and were buried in a deep pit to obscure their whereabouts," suggesting that they were executed after being detained by Israeli forces.
The PRCS reported that the remains of eight paramedics out of nine who had gone missing in Rafah’s Al-Hashashin area were found. The ninth paramedic, As’ad Al-Nasasra, remains unaccounted for and is suspected to have been arrested.
The society detailed the difficulties in retrieving the bodies, noting that they had been buried in sand, and some had already begun to decompose.
The PRCS mourned its fallen paramedics: Mustafa Khafaja, Ezzedine Sha’at, Saleh Ma’amar, Rifaat Radwan, Mohammad Bahloul, Ashraf Abu Labda, Mohammad Al-Heila, and Raed Al-Sharif. Their deaths bring the total number of PRCS personnel killed in Gaza since the start of Israel’s military offensive on 7 October 2023 to 27.
"This massacre against our teams is not just a tragedy for the Palestinian Red Crescent but for humanitarian work and humanity as a whole," the PRCS said in a statement.
The organization condemned the deliberate targeting of its paramedics, emphasizing that their internationally protected emblem had been ignored. "Such an attack constitutes a war crime under international humanitarian law, which Israel continues to violate with impunity before the eyes of the world," it added.
The PRCS called for accountability and an urgent investigation into this war crime to ensure justice for the victims and to uncover the fate of the missing paramedic, As’ad Al-Nasasra.
The organization also reiterated its call on the international community—particularly the United Nations, Geneva Conventions signatories, and human rights organizations—to fulfill their legal obligations by taking immediate measures to compel Israel to halt its grave violations against Palestinian medical teams and civilians.
It further urged global actors to enforce international humanitarian and human rights law in the occupied Palestinian territories and put an end to Israel’s long-standing impunity.
