Ambulance Massacre: When soldiers bury bodies in a mass grave, it's not chaos, it's politics.

Written by: Representative Ahmed Tibi

The article published in Haaretz and The Guardian reveals a reality that should shake not only Israel, but the conscience of all humanity. But Israel will not be shaken, because Israeli society is suffering a barbaric post-traumatic transformation in October 2023.

In this incident, 15 paramedics—rescue workers who had come to the aid of the wounded—were shot at close range and buried in a mass grave using Israeli military engineering equipment. The exhumation of the bodies took five days and was only completed after an Israeli military source guided rescue crews to the site of the mass grave.

Sole Survivor Testimony:

Munther Abdul, the only medic to survive the massacre, told The Guardian: “They stripped me completely naked, leaving me in only my underwear. My hands were tied behind my back. They threw me to the ground and the interrogation began. I was subjected to severe torture: beatings, insults, death threats, and being strangled with a rifle around my neck. Then another soldier put a knife to my left shoulder. After a while, an officer arrived and ordered the soldiers to stop, calling them ‘crazy’ who didn’t know how to deal with people.”

Evidence of the execution of medical personnel:

Evidence on the ground—bound hands and feet, close-range shootings, and burials alongside relief vehicles—suggests the possible summary execution of medical personnel. The New York Times published a video taken by one of the medics buried in the mass grave, clearly showing that the vehicles were clearly marked and the ambulance lights were on during the military assault.

Accountability is absent and the media is silent:

Is this the image of the "most moral army in the world"? Is this a country claiming democracy and Western values? The deafening silence of the Israeli media on this issue is dangerous in itself. Silence at a time when basic moral values are being violated is complicity in the crime.

Demand for an international investigation:

I call for the formation of an independent, external, and preferably international, investigation committee. This case must not be left in the hands of parties that have repeatedly failed and committed war crimes. This is a moral and humanitarian test. The world is watching, and if justice is not served, history will judge.

International law is clear:

The Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Israel is a signatory, requires the protection of medical personnel in conflict zones. Deliberate attacks on relief personnel constitute a war crime. The discovery of bodies bound and outside humanitarian vehicles should raise alarms in every legal institution around the world.

Not an isolated case:

Unfortunately, this is not the only incident. For months, reports have been circulating of the targeting of Gaza's health infrastructure—hospitals, clinics, medical personnel, and ambulances. When a doctor becomes an enemy, a nurse a target, and an ambulance a military target, the state crosses red lines that no state should approach.

The international community must not remain silent:

I call on the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and international law organizations: Do not remain silent. Those who remain silent in the face of this injustice grant it legitimacy.

The German Foreign Ministry stated that the aid team in Gaza was definitely killed by Israeli military forces. A forensic doctor who examined some of the bodies said he had evidence that they were summarily executed. This incident sparked international outrage, particularly since they were killed while unloading food aid, despite their clear humanitarian identities. The army expressed "regret," and after international pressure, announced an "investigation," and that "procedures may be reviewed."

But when it comes to 15 lives, regret is no substitute for responsibility, and tragedy is no excuse for false justice. The immediate solution required is a prisoner exchange deal and a cessation of hostilities. This is possible, were it not for Netanyahu's political survival and party alliances. This, too, is a crime in itself. Enough war, enough crimes.

The Rafah massacre was no exception:

The ambulance massacre, horrific as it is, is not the only incident since the war began. Israel bombs shelters, schools, hospitals, mosques, churches, and civilian homes daily. It is an ongoing massacre, documented and transmitted in a manner unprecedented in history.

Finally:

History will remember not only who committed and who remained silent, but also who lied and who issued false statements in the name of the occupation army.

In commemoration of their memory:

The martyrs: Mustafa Khafaja, Ezz El-Din Shaath, Saleh Muammar, Refaat Radwan, Mohammed Bahloul, Ashraf Abu Labda, Mohammed Al-Hila, Raed Al-Sharif, Yousef Khalifa, Fouad Al-Jamal, Zuhair Al-Farra, Anwar Al-Attar, Samir Al-Bahabsah, Ibrahim Al-Maghribi, and Kamal Mohammed Shahtout. The fate of Asaad Al-Nusra, a member of the Red Crescent, remains unknown. The surviving paramedic said he saw him alive and detained by soldiers.

Stop war crimes!