Strong shadows of suspicion have shrouded the tragic deaths of 15 UN Palestinian Red Crescent workers, caused by the Israeli army.
The Israeli military has provided new details that differ from initial ones about the killing of 15 emergency workers near the southern Gaza city of Rafah last month, but added that investigators were still examining the evidence.
The Israeli military initially said soldiers had opened fire on vehicles that approached their position "suspiciously" in the dark without lights or markings. It said they killed nine militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who were traveling in Palestinian Red Crescent vehicles.
But video recovered from the cellphone of one of the dead and released by the Palestine Red Crescent showed emergency workers in their uniforms, clearly displaying the insignia of an ambulance and fire trucks, with their lights on.
The sole survivor of the incident, Palestinian Red Crescent aid worker Munther Abed, also said he had seen soldiers opening fire on Emergency Response vehicles that, according to him, had sufficient distinctive markings.
An Israeli military official said investigators were reviewing the video and the conclusions were expected to be presented to army commanders.
Israeli media, informed by the military, reported that troops had identified at least six of the 15 dead as members of militant groups. However, the official declined to provide any evidence or details on how the identifications were made, saying he did not want to share classified information. The UN and the Palestinian Red Crescent have called for an independent investigation into the killing of the paramedics.
Red Crescent and UN officials said 17 paramedics and emergency workers from the Red Crescent, the Civil Emergency Service and the UN had been dispatched to respond to reports of injuries from Israeli airstrikes.
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