UN Demands Justice for Death of Doctors and Staff in Gaza
HAVANA TIMES – The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) demanded “justice and answers” on Monday, March 31, after Israeli forces killed eight Palestinian doctors, six paramedics, and a UN staff member in an attack in southern Gaza.
“They were killed by Israeli forces while trying to save lives. We demand answers and justice,” stated OCHA head Tom Fletcher.
Jonathan Whittall, OCHA’s representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said the clearly identified humanitarian workers were collecting the wounded on March 23 in the Rafah area of southern Gaza when they came under Israeli fire.
That day, five ambulances, a fire truck, and a clearly marked UN vehicle that arrived after the initial strike were hit by Israeli fire, after which contact with the teams was lost.
“A survivor said Israeli forces had killed the two crew members of his ambulance. For days, OCHA coordinated to reach the site, but we were only granted access five days later,” Whittall said.
When UN personnel reached the area, they encountered hundreds of civilians fleeing under Israeli fire.
“We witnessed a woman being shot in the back of the neck. When a young man tried to retrieve her, he was also shot. We managed to recover her body with our UN vehicle,” Whittall revealed.
He said humanitarian workers finally reached the site on March 30, discovering “a devastating scene: ambulances, the UN vehicle, and the fire truck were crushed and partially buried.”
“After hours of digging, we recovered one body: that of a civil protection worker beneath his fire truck,” Whittall added.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society—part of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)—expressed outrage over the deaths and said a ninth staff member remains missing.
“They wore emblems that should have protected them; their ambulances were clearly marked. They should have gone home to their families—but they didn’t,” said IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain.
He added, “Even in the most complex conflict zones, there are rules. The rules of International Humanitarian Law couldn’t be clearer: civilians must be protected, humanitarian workers must be protected. Health services must be protected.”
The incident marks the deadliest attack on Red Cross and Red Crescent workers since 2017.
Israeli forces stated that the rescuers were shot after their vehicles “advanced suspiciously” and claimed a Hamas operative was killed “along with eight other terrorists.”
“Today, on the first day of Eid (Muslim religious holiday), we returned and recovered the buried bodies. They were killed in their uniforms. Driving clearly marked vehicles. Wearing gloves. While trying to save lives. This should never have happened,” Whittall emphasized.
The attack occurred after the collapse of a fragile two-month ceasefire on March 18 between Israeli forces and Hamas militants.
The current conflict erupted after Hamas militants based in Gaza attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages.
Israel responded with a large-scale military offensive, and since then, more than 50,000 Palestinians—mostly civilians—have been killed in Gaza (a territory of 365 square kilometers with 2.3 million residents), more than 113,000 have been injured, and most of the infrastructure has been reduced to rubble.