INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
on March 23 in three separate shootings at the same location near the southern Gaza city of Rafah
They were buried in a shallow grave where their bodies were found a week later by officials from the United Nations and the Palestinian Red
Crescent.In a statement on Sunday, the military said a commanding officer is to be reprimanded
A deputy commander, a reservist who was the field commander, will be dismissed from his position for providing an incomplete and inaccurate
a tangible threat from enemy forces
investigation and criminal charges could be pursued, according to the military.A video recovered from the mobile phone of one of the dead
men and published by the Palestinian Red Crescent showed uniformed emergency responders and clearly marked ambulances and fire trucks, with
their lights on, being fired on by soldiers.Major General Yoav Har-Even, who conducted the review, told reporters that soldiers, from a
special forces unit, had believed they were under threat after firing on what they initially determined as a Hamas vehicle but was in fact
Two occupants were killed and a third was detained and questioned over suspected Hamas links.The man was released the next day after further
questioning.The military says Hamas often conceals its activities amongst civilians and that there had been cases in the past where the
militant group used ambulances to carry out operations
Still, it says soldiers are told to distinguish between genuine emergency vehicles and those used by Hamas.Military spokesman Effie Defrin
cover up the incident, which was reported immediately.In addition to the two killed in the first incident, Har-Even said 12 people were
killed in the second shooting and another person was killed in the third incident.InjuriesRed Crescent and U.N
officials have said 17 paramedics and emergency workers from the Red Crescent, the Civil Emergency service and the U.N
had been dispatched to respond to reports of injuries from Israeli air strikes.The military said in its statement that in the second
ordered troops to open fire on a group of individuals who emerged from a fire truck and ambulances.In a briefing with reporters, the
military presented drone footage of the incident which showed the unit of about 20 soldiers opening fire on a fire truck and ambulances from
a distance of around 30 metres.Har-Even said the soldiers had believed they were firing on a group of Hamas fighters and only realized they
had shot paramedics when they conducted a scan of the site after the engagement.Paramedic Munther Abed, who was detained by the military and
later released, has said soldiers opened fire on clearly marked emergency response vehicles.The Red Cross said on April 13 another
Palestinian emergency responder was being held by Israeli authorities
The military said on Sunday that he is still in Israeli custody.The military has said, without providing evidence, that six of the 15
Hamas has rejected the accusation.About 15 minutes after the soldiers opened fire on the group of emergency responders, the military said
that soldiers fired at a Palestinian UN vehicle
