Video released by Palestinian Red Crescent appears to contradict IDF account of killing of paramedics

A video discovered on the cell phone of one of the Palestinian paramedics killed by Israel Defense Forces in March appears to disprove the IDF’s official account of the incident, The New York Times revealed on Friday. 

The paramedics were killed when a group of ambulances and fire trucks were fired on while traveling to the scene of an attack in which several Palestinian civilians had reportedly been injured.

The video shows that the emergency services vehicles were traveling with their headlights and emergency lights on, contradicting the testimony of the IDF that “several uncoordinated vehicles were identified advancing suspiciously toward IDF troops without headlights or emergency signals. IDF troops then opened fire at the suspected vehicles.” 

Last week, Israeli military spokesperson, Lt.-Col. Nadav Shoshani posted a statement to 𝕏, denying reports that the IDF had randomly attacked the emergency services personnel.

In his statement, Shoshani claimed the IDF identified a known “Hamas military operative, Mohammad Amin Ibrahim Shubaki, who had taken part in the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, along with 8 other terrorists from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.” 

The IDF did 𝗻𝗼𝘁 randomly attack an ambulance on March 23. Let me walk through what happened step-by-step:

1.⁠ ⁠Last Sunday, several uncoordinated vehicles were identified advancing suspiciously toward IDF troops without headlights or emergency signals. IDF troops then… https://t.co/VdtyXd8qj5

— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) March 31, 2025

In the video, which appeared to be filmed from the passenger seat of an ambulance, a convoy of vehicles is seen stopping alongside another group already pulled over on the side of the road.

Shortly after the vehicle stops, the person filming gets out and shots can be heard. 

SCOOP: We obtained video footage showing Israel attacked the convoy of aid workers in Gaza with a barrage of bullets, a paramedic frantically says his prayers of death. The ambulances had lights on & were marked refuting Israel's claim. w/ @ckoettl https://t.co/9ONnjHE8L2

— Farnaz Fassihi (@farnazfassihi) April 5, 2025

The person filming can then be heard reciting prayers in Arabic, including the “shahada,” the Muslim declaration of faith. Later, he is heard recording a message to his mother, saying, “Forgive me, mother. This is the path I chose – to help people.” 

The IDF acknowledged that its earlier statement claiming the emergency vehicles did not have their lights on was incorrect.

The recovered video was given to the UN Security Council by the Palestine Red Crescent Society, and a copy was then leaked to The New York Times by an anonymous senior diplomat at the United Nations.  

The IDF released a statement saying it was investigating the incident following the video's release.

“The shooting incident targeting the ambulance convoy in Tel Sultan on March 23 is undergoing deep review and investigative processes,” the statement read. “All claims, including the footage that was published, will be thoroughly examined to understand how the event was handled.” 

On Saturday evening, the military briefed several reporters on the initial findings from the investigation, stating that the IDF had previously exchanged fire with a known Hamas police vehicle in the same area of the incident, killing one Hamas operative and capturing two others. The Hamas vehicle remained at the scene. 

About an hour and a half later, the emergency services convoy stopped at the scene of the previous Hamas shooting. IDF troops near the scene identified several people exiting the vehicles rapidly and running, which can be seen in the released video. The troops also received a report from a surveillance drone unit that an unknown convoy was approaching their position. 

Unsure of the nature of the incident, the soldiers reportedly opened fire. However, the IDF continues to maintain that six of the 15 slain medics from the incident were “identified by intelligence officials as Hamas operatives.” 

The military did not specify whether any of those killed in the incident were armed but noted that, in the past, the IDF has documented instances of Hamas using ambulances and posing as UN or humanitarian workers.

The Red Crescent and the UN dispute the claim that some of the medics were part of the Hamas terror group, claiming they were humanitarian workers. 

The IDF cooperated with the UN and provided the location of the incident, allowing UN and Palestinian civil defense groups to recover the bodies several days later.