Funerals were held in southern Gaza for Palestinian doctors and care providers who were killed during an Israeli siege of the city of Tel Al-Sultan last week.
Fifteen bodies were buried on Sunday in a mass grave, near the wreck of mutilated vehicles.
Among them were eight doctors from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCs), six members of Gaza’s Civil Defense Services and one employee of the United Nations.
Collection crews were blocked for days of access to the site, while the ninth ambulance officer is still missing.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted on March 23 that he has opened a fire on the convoy of ambulances and fire trucks.
The IDF insisted that the group “suspected” to IDF troops “without prior coordination, and without headlights or emergency signals”, shortly after a number of Hamas vehicles were fired in the area.
“After a first application it was established that some suspicious vehicles who went to the troops were ambulances and fire trucks,” the IDF said in a statement. “
Images of the UN show that employees restore the remains of doctors. ((Leveld: United Nations/OCA))
Vision of the site, supplied by the United Nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (OCA), shows that the vehicles were marked as ambulances and UN SUVs, and the bodies were deeply buried under hills of dirt and sand.
The IDF claimed that militants from Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Pij) were traveling in the convoy and nine terrorists were killed.
It did not give the ABC with details or evidence to support that claim, as well as any explanation why the bodies were buried.
The IDF also refused to answer a question about the residence of the missing medicine, and said that the area was still an “active combat zone” after being asked for delays to pick up on the site of the attack.
“Accordingly, the IDF is in contact with the organizations to make evacuation as quickly as possible, subject to operational circumstances,” the IDF said in a statement.
Humanitarians furious about attack
Laat on Sunday, the International Federation of Rode Cross and Red Crescent Society’s indignation about the incident.
“I am deeply sad,” said IFRC -Secretary -General Jagan Chapagain in a statement.
“These dedicated ambulance employees responded to injured people. They were humanitarian.
“They wore emblems that should have protected them; their ambulances were clearly marked.”
The operation to pick up the remains of 15 Palestinian doctors lasted a week, according to OCA. ((Leveld: United Nations/OCA))
He said that international law, the protection of humanitarians and citizens, had to be maintained.
“Our network is in mourning, but this is not enough,” said Mr. Chapagain.
“Instead of another call to all parties to protect and respect humanitarian and citizens, I ask a question:” When will this stop?
“All parties must stop killing and all Humanitarians must be protected.”
The IFRC said it was the only deadliest attack on the Red Cross and Red Crescent -Staff since 2017, and added that 30 employees were killed since the start of the Gaza war.
The United Nations estimates that more than 1,000 health care employees were killed in the conflict.
Israel gives evacuation warning
The discovery of the bodies and the funerals came when the IDF gave fresh evacuation -warnings for a huge strip of South Gaza, a movement that could possibly move tens of thousands of Palestinians.
The Arab spokesperson for the IDF gave the warning on Monday the local time and told Palestinians in Rafah to flee to “hiding places” in the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone.
“The IDF returns to fight with intense power to eliminate the possibilities of terrorist organizations in these areas,” placed Israeli Colonel Avichay Adraee on social media.
It was the biggest evacuation warning since Israel resumed his bombing of Gaza on March 18, so that a period of relative peace has been crushing since the end of January.
Gazan Health Authorities have said that more than 850 Palestinians were killed in the past two weeks, because Israeli troops returned to fighting in the war destroyed by war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the military pressure was necessary to force Hamas to release the remaining 59 Israeli hostages in Gaza.
According to the Israeli officials, thirty -five of those prisoners are believed to be dead.
The Reuters news agency reports that Israel has given mediators Egypt and Qatar a new proposal to resume the ceasefiring with Hamas for between 40 and 50 days in exchange for about half of the remaining living and dead hostages.
The plan would not mean discussions about a permanent peace in Gaza, something that Hamas demanded.
Late on Saturday, Hamas indicated that it was willing to release five hostages in an attempt to resume the truce with Israel.
Mr Netanyahu responded on Sunday and said that his cabinet had agreed to increase the intensity of his strikes in Gaza.
He insisted that Hamas had to disarm – something that the leadership of the militant group, a forbidden terrorist organization under the Australian legislation, said it was a “red line.”
The original stakes -the Fires in Gaza, which was pulled into force on January 19, determined that talks about a formal end of the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza who were needed to start in the third week of the truce.
Those conversations never happened and Hamas accused Israel of deliberately avoiding the negotiations – something that Israel rejected.
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