Extract from ABC News
Mourners were seen at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis after the recovery of the medics' bodies. (Reuters: Hatem Khaled)
In short:
Funerals have been held in southern Gaza for Palestinian medics and emergency crews whose bodies were discovered on Sunday, buried alongside the mangled wreckage of their vehicles.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it opened fire on a group of vehicles “advancing suspiciously” towards troops at Tel al-Sultan, “without headlights, or emergency signals.”
What’s next?
Fresh evacuations warnings were issued for a large swathe of southern Gaza, including Rafah.
Funerals have been held in southern Gaza for Palestinian medics and emergency workers killed during an Israeli siege of the city of Tel al-Sultan last week.
Fifteen bodies were found buried in a mass grave on Sunday, near the wreckage of mangled vehicles.
Among them were eight medics from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), six members of Gaza's civil defence services, and one United Nations worker.
Retrieval crews were blocked from accessing the site for days as fighting continued, and the ninth ambulance officer is still missing.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has admitted opening fire on the convoy of ambulances and fire trucks on March 23.
The IDF insisted the group "advanced suspiciously" towards IDF troops "without prior coordination, and without headlights or emergency signals", shortly after a number of Hamas vehicles in the area were fired upon.
"After an initial inquiry, it was determined that some of the suspicious vehicles that were moving towards the troops were ambulances and fire trucks," the IDF said in a statement."
Footage provided by the UN shows workers recovering the remains of medics. (Supplied: United Nations/OCHA)
Vision from the site, provided by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) shows the vehicles were marked as ambulances and UN SUVs, and the bodies were buried deep under mounds of dirt and sand.
The IDF claimed militants from Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) were travelling in the convoy, and nine terrorists were killed.
It did not provide the ABC with any details or evidence to back up that claim, as well as any explanation as to why the bodies were buried.
The IDF also refused to answer a question about the whereabouts of the missing medic, and said the area was still an "active combat zone" after being asked about delays in allowing retrieval teams into the site of the attack.
"Accordingly, the IDF is in contact with the organisations to enable evacuation as soon as possible, subject to the operational circumstances," the IDF said in a statement.
Humanitarians outraged at attack
OCHA's spokesperson in Gaza, Olga Cherevkov said the IDF's allegations about the convoy's behaviour had not been presented to the humanitarian agencies.
"As we have previously reiterated time and time again, attacks against aid workers and against first responders are unacceptable," she told the ABC.
"And it's our priority to continue reiterating that wars have rules, and that parties to the conflict must abide by their obligations."
Ms Cherevkov would not comment on whether she believed the burial of the bodies suggested the IDF was trying to cover up the incident.
"It's important to get all the facts and to to really understand what happened," she said.
"This is, of course, also a very grim reality for the people on the ground ... since the hostilities have re-intensified, and we've seen hundreds of people, reports of hundreds of being killed and injured, including lots of children."
Late on Sunday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies expressed outrage at the incident.
"I am heartbroken," IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain said in a statement.
"These dedicated ambulance workers were responding to wounded people. They were humanitarians.
"They wore emblems that should have protected them; their ambulances were clearly marked."
The operation to retrieve the remains of 15 Palestinian medics took a week, according to OCHA. (Supplied: United Nations/OCHA)
He said international law, protecting humanitarians and civilians, needed to be upheld.
"Our network is in mourning, but this is not enough," Mr Chapagain said.
"Instead of another call on all parties to protect and respect humanitarians and civilians, I pose a question: 'When will this stop?
"All parties must stop the killing, and all humanitarians must be protected."
The IFRC said it was the single deadliest attack on Red Cross and Red Crescent staff since 2017, and added that 30 staff have been killed since the start of the Gaza war.
The United Nations estimates more than 1,000 healthcare workers have been killed in the conflict.
Israel issues evacuation warning
The discovery of the bodies and the funerals came as the IDF issued fresh evacuation warnings for a huge swathe of southern Gaza, a move which could potentially displace tens of thousands of Palestinians.
The IDF's Arabic spokesperson issued the warning on Monday local time, telling Palestinians across Rafah to flee to "shelters" in the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone.
"The IDF is returning to combat with intense force to eliminate the capabilities of terrorist organisations in these areas," Israeli Colonel Avichay Adraee posted on social media.
It was the largest evacuation warning since Israel resumed its bombardment of Gaza on March 18, shattering a period of relative peace since late January.
Gazan health authorities have said more than 850 Palestinians have been killed in the last fortnight, as Israeli forces returned to fighting in the war-ravaged strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military pressure was necessary to force Hamas to release the remaining 59 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.
Thirty-five of those captives are believed to be dead, according to Israeli officials.
The Reuters news agency is reporting Israel has given mediators Egypt and Qatar a fresh proposal, to resume the ceasefire with Hamas for between 40 and 50 days in exchange for around half of the remaining living and dead hostages.
The plan would not involve discussions about a lasting peace in Gaza, something which Hamas has demanded.
Late on Saturday, Hamas signalled it was prepared to release five hostages in a bid to resume the truce with Israel.
Mr Netanyahu responded on Sunday, and said his Cabinet had agreed to increase the intensity of its strikes in Gaza.
He insisted Hamas needed to disarm — something the leadership of the militant group, which is a proscribed terrorist organisation under Australian law, said was a "red line."
The original ceasefire in Gaza, which came into force on January 19, stipulated that talks on a formal end to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza needed to begin in the third week of the truce.
Those talks never happened, and Hamas accused Israel of deliberately avoiding the negotiations — something Israel rejected.
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