Extract from ABC News
Palestinians mourn the medics and emergency workers killed by Israeli fire. (Reuters: Hatem Khaled)
In short:
Australia's foreign minister says there needs to be an independent investigation into the killing of 15 Palestinian medics and emergency workers in southern Gaza.
The remains of the workers were recovered last Sunday from a shallow mass grave.
What's next?
Israel has admitted opening fire on the workers' convoy and has launched an inquiry, but it is being managed by the military's general staff command.
Australia has joined international demands for an independent investigation into the killing of 15 Palestinian paramedics and emergency workers in southern Gaza after Israeli forces opened fire on their convoy.
It comes as fresh video appears to contradict Israel’s official explanation for why troops shot at the men.
The remains of the eight paramedics from the Palestinian Red Crescent, six Gaza civil defence service workers and one United Nations official were found buried in a shallow mass grave near Tel al-Sultan outside Rafah last Sunday, alongside the wreckage of their vehicles.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has faced condemnation from the United Nations and humanitarian agencies for the attack, given the ambulances, fire trucks and a UN vehicle were clearly marked.
It is yet another example of the incredibly dangerous situation on the ground in Gaza, with humanitarians and civilians caught in Israeli strikes against claimed Hamas targets daily.
Footage provided by the UN shows workers recovering the remains of the emergency services personnel. (Supplied: United Nations/OCHA)
Australia says deaths are 'unacceptable'
The Australian government has now made its views clear to Israeli officials, and raised the matter multiple times during the week.
"The deaths of humanitarian workers in Gaza are unacceptable," a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Penny Wong told the ABC.
"Aid workers must be protected and Australia repeats its call on all parties to abide by international humanitarian law.
"It is appropriate that there is a thorough and independent investigation. Those responsible must be held accountable."
The IDF has announced an investigation into the incident, but it is being managed by the military's general staff command.
The IDF's spokesman has denied allegations the group were murdered, despite comments from a forensic expert in Gaza to The Guardian that the remains of some of the men suggested they had been shot multiple times.
Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters on Thursday that the convoy had not been targeted "randomly", and that the vehicles had approached IDF troops in a "suspicious" manner and without lights and sirens.
On Friday, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said it had presented a video recording of the incident to the UN Security Council disputing that — taken from the phone of one of the paramedics who was killed.
The New York Times has now published part of that recording, showing the vehicles were using their emergency lights before medics were forced to take cover under a barrage of Israeli gunfire.
The IDF refused to answer specific questions about the video, and the suggestion it contradicted its original explanation of how the attack unfolded.
"The event that occurred on March 23, 2025, is under thorough examination," it said in a statement.
"All claims, including the documentation circulating about the incident, will be thoroughly and deeply examined to understand the sequence of events and the handling of the situation.
"Anyone with information or documentation related to the event is invited to submit it to the IDF to complete the examination."
UN human rights chief Volker Türk told the council on Friday that he was appalled by the recent killings of 15 medical personnel and humanitarian aid workers.
He added that their deaths "raise further concerns over the commission of war crimes by the Israeli military".
Israel refuses to give details on deaths
Israel has said it was targeting Hamas militants in the area, with Lieutenant Colonel Shoshani saying nine terrorists were killed at the scene.
But the IDF has only named one man — who was not among the emergency workers — and is refusing to provide the details of the others it claims to have killed.
The IDF initially refused to answer questions on why the bodies were discovered buried under sand alongside the wreckage of their vehicles, which appeared to have been flattened as well as blown apart by Israeli fire.
It later claimed it had covered the bodies ahead of them being recovered, suggesting it was a way to protect the remains ahead of the PRCS and United Nations gaining access to the site.
The IDF did not allow crews to enter the area for a number of days after the attack on the convoy, saying it was an active combat zone.
Graphic footage released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) during an aborted recovery mission showed Palestinians being shot from behind while trying to flee the area.
Calls to protect humanitarian workers
Senator Wong's spokesperson said more needed to be done to protect humanitarian workers in Gaza and around the world.
"Australia is leading a global push to protect aid workers and pursuing a new Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel," they said.
"Australia calls on all parties to return to the ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza."
Israel resumed its bombardment of Gaza on March 18, a fortnight after the first phase of a fragile ceasefire with Hamas had lapsed.
Hamas still holds 59 Israeli hostages, and Israeli authorities believe 35 of them are dead.
Israel resumed its bombardment of Gaza on March 18. (Reuters: Hatem Khaled)
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