The United States has reiterated that all parties involved in the Gaza conflict must adhere to international humanitarian law but did not confirm whether it was conducting its own investigation into an Israeli airstrike that killed 15 people, including paramedics, civil defense workers, and a UN official.
When questioned about the incident, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce stated, "Every single thing that happens in Gaza is happening because of Hamas."
According to the UN’s humanitarian agency, on March 23, five ambulances, a fire truck, and a UN vehicle were hit "one by one."
The bodies of 15 victims, including medics still wearing their uniforms, were later recovered and buried in a mass grave.
The Israeli military claimed its forces had targeted vehicles moving "suspiciously" without headlights or emergency signals.
It further stated that a Hamas operative and other militants were among those killed but did not address reports of bodies being buried in the sand.
International humanitarian law forbids attacks on civilians and mandates special protections for medical personnel.
The US, Israel’s primary arms supplier, is also legally obligated to ensure that its weapons are not used in violations of humanitarian law.
Jonathan Whittall, a senior official with the UN’s humanitarian agency in Gaza, revealed that the mass grave had been marked using an emergency light from one of the damaged ambulances.
"What has happened here is horrifying," he said in a video posted on X, stressing that healthcare workers "should never be a target."
Israel resumed its air and ground operations in Gaza on March 18 after ceasefire negotiations with Hamas collapsed.
Since then, more than 1,000 people have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
The conflict erupted after Hamas launched an unprecedented cross-border assault on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Since then, over 50,350 people have been killed in Gaza, according to health ministry reports.
Source: BBC
BDST: 1010 HRS, APR 01, 2025
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