Exclusive: Satellite Images Show Israel Destroyed and Buried Gaza Rescue Vehicles
Satellite images confirm Israel's destruction of Red Crescent and Civil Defense vehicles in Rafah, as 13 humanitarian workers—including a UN staffer—are found dead.
Watan-Exclusive satellite images obtained by Al Jazeera show that the Israeli army destroyed at least five rescue vehicles belonging to the Palestinian Red Crescent and Civil Defense, following the targeting of both organizations’ teams—comprising 15 volunteers—during a humanitarian mission in Tel al-Sultan neighborhood, west of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
The satellite images, recently taken on March 25, and obtained by Sanad Agency, reveal the complete destruction of the vehicles by the Israeli army. The vehicle remains appear in two nearby locations along al-Muharrarat Street.
This incident occurred while the Red Crescent and Civil Defense were attempting to coordinate entry into the militarily closed-off area to search for the missing and determine their fate.
On the sixth day of losing contact with the Red Crescent and Civil Defense teams, the Palestinian Red Crescent announced that the Israeli army had completely destroyed and buried the vehicles in sand.
In total, six vehicles were destroyed: four belonging to the Red Crescent, and two—an ambulance and a rescue vehicle—belonging to the Civil Defense.
As this report was being prepared, the Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed that 13 bodies had been recovered from the site of the attack on the teams. These included seven medics from the Red Crescent, five from the Civil Defense, and one UN staff member. Search efforts are ongoing for additional bodies.
The satellite images also show the presence of Israeli military engineering and armored equipment at the site, amidst extensive bulldozing activity. The Israeli army has also blocked al-Muharrarat Street with an earthen barrier near the location of the attack.
A Deliberate Crime
On March 27, Sanad Agency released the first satellite images confirming that the Israeli army had seized the rescue vehicles of both the Red Crescent and Civil Defense teams on al-Muharrarat Street in Tel al-Sultan, west of Rafah.
Earlier, on Sunday, March 23, the Palestinian Red Crescent had announced that the fate of nine of its team members remained unknown after they were besieged and targeted by Israeli forces while attempting to respond to an airstrike on the al-Hashashin area in Rafah.
In a related announcement on the same day, the Civil Defense said it had lost contact with six of its personnel after they left in two vehicles to respond to Israeli strikes targeting displaced persons in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood.
The Red Crescent described the deliberate targeting of medics and their internationally recognized emblems as a “premeditated war crime” punishable under international law.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza called the targeting of its teams a “crime of genocide”, stating that it violates international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions. The organization reported that its teams were left in shock after the attack in Tel al-Sultan.
It added that the Israeli army had deliberately and directly targeted the teams, altered the site, and used bulldozers and heavy machinery to hide the bodies of some victims.
