The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) released a statement on Friday, arguing that an attack by Israeli forces on their ambulances was a violation of the Geneva Conventions and constituted a war crime.
The statement condemned the assault, which the PRCS claims was targeted at ambulances conveying injured civilians between Gaza and Rafah to the Al-Shifa hospital. This attack reportedly resulted in 15 casualties and over 60 injured civilians. The PRCS now reports a total of eight ambulances destroyed.
Describing the incident, the PRCS noted that the ambulances were directly targeted by missiles, one of which hit the PRCS ambulance just a few metres from the hospital gate.
In response to these allegations, the Israeli Air Force stated, “A Hamas terrorist cell was identified using an ambulance. In response, an IAF aircraft struck and neutralized the Hamas terrorists, who were operating within the ambulance. We emphasize that this area in Gaza is a war zone.”
This response appears to contradict the account provided by PRCS, which reported that more than one ambulance in the convoy of five vehicles had been targeted. The PRCS statement argues, “PRCS emphasizes that the deliberate targeting of medical teams constitutes a grave violation of the Geneva Conventions, a war crime, and that the parties to the four Geneva Conventions are legally bound to ensure the protection of medical teams and civilians under all circumstances.”
CAIR, a US Muslim civil rights organization, has also labeled the attack as a war crime, directly placing blame on the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres responded to the attack, expressing his horror. Although Guterres called for the release of hostages held by Hamas in his statement, he renewed his call for a humanitarian ceasefire in the region.
The PRCS concluded its statement by seeking international support via “urgent intervention to exert pressure on the Occupying Authorities to ensure the protection of civilians, healthcare facilities, and medical teams operating in the Gaza Strip.”
Read the full report here.