The Israeli military released the investigation conclusion of the incident that killed medical rescue workers in Gaza, denying indiscriminate shooting

The Israeli military has admitted dereliction of duty in reporting the deaths of 15 medical and rescue workers in Gaza and has decided to remove the commander involved from his position.

Israeli soldiers launched an attack on medical and emergency convoys in Rafah, southern Gaza, at the end of March, killing 15 medical workers and humanitarian workers. A week after their deaths, officials from the United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society found their bodies in a shallow grave.

According to reports from Agence France-Presse and Reuters, the Israeli military released a statement on Sunday (April 20), announcing the investigation conclusion of this incident, claiming that the troops did not conduct indiscriminate shooting. The troops have not carried out indiscriminate involvement, but have always remained vigilant to deal with the real threats they have identified. The investigation found no evidence in support of the execution accusation.

The statement also acknowledged that the military had made multiple professional mistakes, violated orders and failed to report comprehensively in this incident. A deputy commander served as the on-site commander during the operation and provided incomplete and inaccurate reports in the post-event briefing. The military decided to remove this commander from his position. Another commander will be reprimanded.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said at a press conference earlier this month that the ambulance carrying the killed medical emergency personnel had clear markings and the emergency lights of the ambulance were clearly turned on, but it was still directly attacked fiercely by the Israeli army.

According to the statement of the Israeli army, Israeli soldiers once opened fire on a vehicle which they believed belonged to Hamas, and the deputy commander believed there was a threat. An hour later, the deputy commander ordered fire to be opened on the people emerging from the vehicle. The relevant vehicle was later identified as a fire engine and several ambulances.

The military said that the deputy commander failed to identify these vehicles as ambulances in the second incident because of "poor visibility at night".

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society once released a video recovered from a victim's mobile phone, showing uniformed rescue workers and vehicles clearly marked with ambulance and fire engine signs and with their headlights on being fired at by soldiers.

The Israeli military statement said that about 15 minutes after soldiers opened fire on emergency rescue workers, they also opened fire on a Palestinian United Nations vehicle.

The investigation conclusion stated: "The investigation determined that the firing in the first two incidents was due to the troops misjudging the situation during the operation and believing that they were facing an actual threat from enemy troops." The third case was caused by violating orders in the combat environment.

However, the conclusion also emphasizes that no signs of attempts to cover up the incident were found.