Israel admits “errors” when the ambulance is fired in Gaza

After the fatal shots on rescue workers in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army has given “errors” in the Gaza Strip and expressed its regret about the death of civilians. The army declared on the Sunday after an investigation into the incident with 15 deaths in March, among other things, orders were disregarded and the incident was not “completely” reported. A involved officer should therefore be removed from his position.

The incident on March 23, in which Israeli uniformed people had shot on outpatient clinic and fire engines of the Palestinian emergency services, was caused by an “operational misunderstanding”, according to the summary of an investigation that the military published on Sunday.

There were three armed incidents in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip in the southern Gaza Strip, which was the second with the rescue teams, it is said. “The investigation found that the use of firearms in the first two incidents resulted from an operational misunderstanding on the part of the (Israeli) troops,” says the summary. The soldiers had believed that they were exposed to a real threat from enemy forces.

Nevertheless, the army emphasized that six members of the radical Islamic Hamas were among the dead. In addition, the Israeli soldiers had not shot “arbitrarily” and also made no “execution”. Rather, they would have reacted to “real threats”.

The incident had caused horror internationally. The Palestinian red crescent moon had accused Israel of killed at least 15 people at the gift of several emergency vehicles in the Gaza Strip-eight of its medical employees, six members of civil protection and one UN employee.

In a first examination, the Israeli army said that the soldiers had shot in the assumption that the soldiers had been in danger. The soldiers shot “terrorists”. Israel had originally portrayed the incident in such a way that the rescue vehicles were not marked and driven without flashing lights.

Later, however, a video recorded with the mobile phone of a humanitarian helper circulated, which according to Palestinian information shows the last moments of the fatalities. The recordings show ambulances that headlights and flashing lights had switched on when the shots fell.

The military recommends disciplinary measures against the commanding officers of the information battalion involved in the incident. The vice commander of the battalion, who had commanded the campaign directly on site, will be removed from his post. He then submitted an “incomplete and incorrect” report. The brigade commander who is superior to him get a warning.

The German Federal Government had supported the demands for an investigation. “We also think that a comprehensive examination of the incidents is necessary,” said a spokeswoman for the Federal Foreign Office. She described the pictures from Rafah as “dismaying” and emphasized that medical staff and humanitarian helpers should never be the goal of attacks.