UN says 15 Palestinian medics killed by IDF in Gaza found buried in mass grave; IDF says it targeted terror operatives

After 15 medics were allegedly killed by the Israeli military in southern Gaza’s Rafah last week, the IDF issues yet another response to the incident, although it does not comment on allegations made by the UN that those killed were buried in a “mass grave.”

Earlier today, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said it recovered the bodies of 15 rescuers killed a week ago when Israeli forces targeted ambulances in the Gaza Strip.

The IDF acknowledged Friday that it had fired on ambulances and fire engines, saying it had identified them as “suspicious vehicles.”

Footage released by the UN shows workers from PRCS and the Hamas-run Civil Defense, wearing masks and bright orange vests, digging through hills of dirt that appeared to have been piled up by Israeli bulldozers.

The footage shows them digging out multiple bodies wearing orange emergency vests. Some of the bodies are found piled on top of each other. At one point, they pull out a body in a Civil Defense vest out of the dirt, and it is revealed to be a torso with no legs. Several ambulances and a UN vehicle, all heavily damaged or torn apart, are also buried in the dirt.

“Their bodies were gathered and buried in this mass grave,” says Jonathan Whittall, with the UN humanitarian office OCHA, speaking at the site in the video. “We’re digging them out in their uniforms, with their gloves on. They were here to save lives.”

In a post on X this evening, the IDF’s international media spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani says the military “did not randomly attack an ambulance on March 23.”

“Last Sunday, several uncoordinated vehicles were identified advancing suspiciously toward IDF troops without headlights or emergency signals. IDF troops then opened fire at the suspected vehicles. Earlier that day, cars that did not belong to terrorists were coordinated and passed safely on the same route,” he says.

“Following an initial assessment, it was determined that the forces had eliminated a Hamas military operative, Mohammad Amin Ibrahim Shubaki, who took part in the October 7 massacre, along with eight other terrorists from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad,” claims Shoshani.

“After coordination between the IDF and international organizations, the evacuation of bodies was carried out,” he says, adding that “it’s truly not surprising that terrorists are once again exploiting medical facilities and equipment for their activities.”