U.N. Accuses Israel of Killing 15 Rescue Workers in Gaza
The United Nations said Israeli forces killed the people as they were trying to aid injured civilians, then buried them in a mass grave. Israel said nine of the 15 dead were Palestinian militants.
U.N. Accuses Israel of Killing 5 Rescue Workers in Gaza - The New York TimesSkip to contentSkip to site indexSearch amp Section NavigationSection NavigationSEARCH
Middle East
Subscribe for $/weekLog in
Thursday, November 6, 2025
Today’s Paper
Subscribe for $/week
Israel-Hamas Cease-Fire
The Latest
Cease-Fire Deal
Analysis Shows Staged Hostage Recovery
Gaza Aid
Devastation in Gaza
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
You have been granted access, use your keyboard to continue reading.
Supported by
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
U.N. Accuses Israel of Killing 5 Rescue Workers in Gaza
The United Nations said Israeli forces killed the people as they were trying to aid injured civilians, then buried them in a mass grave. Israel said nine of the 5 dead were Palestinian militants.
Listen to this article · 5: min Learn more
Share full article
The funeral for people who were killed in Gaza last month, marked by the logo of the Palestinian Red Crescent aid group in Khan Younis, on Monday.Credit...Eyad Baba/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
By Vivian Yee and Farnaz Fassihi
Vivian Yee reported from Cairo, and Farnaz Fassihi from the United Nations.
April , 2025
As Israeli forces advanced on the southern Gaza city of Rafah before dawn last Sunday, an ambulance crew set out to evacuate civilians wounded by Israeli shelling. But the ambulance and its crew were hit on the way.
Several more ambulances and a fire truck headed to the scene over the next few hours to rescue them, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, as did a U.N. vehicle, the United Nations said. Seventeen people were dispatched in total.
Then they all went silent.
It took five days for the United Nations and Red Crescent to negotiate with the Israeli military for safe passage to search for the missing people. After receiving clearance, U.N. officials said, the retrieval team found 5 dead, most of their bodies dumped in a mass grave.
On Sunday, the United Nations said Israel had killed them — a rare accusation by the organization, which is typically cautious about assigning clear blame.
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
“They were killed by Israeli forces while trying to save lives,” the U.N. humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, said on X. “We demand answers amp justice.”
The Red Crescent, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations said all of those killed were humanitarian workers who should never have come under attack. The Red Crescent called the killings a war crime and demanded accountability.
An Israeli military spokesman, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, said on X on Monday that nine of those killed were Palestinian militants. He said Israeli forces “did not randomly attack” an ambulance, but that several vehicles “were identified advancing suspiciously” without headlights or emergency signals toward Israeli troops, prompting them to shoot.
U.N. officials said the vehicles were clearly marked as rescue vehicles.
Colonel Shoshani said that during the attack, Israeli forces killed a Hamas military operative, Mohammad Amin Ibrahim Shubaki, who participated in the Oct. 7, 202, assault on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
He said Israeli forces had also killed eight other operatives from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant group. He accused militants of “once again exploiting medical facilities and equipment for their activities.”
He did not directly say whether the militants were in the emergency vehicles or address the identities of the other six people killed.
After firing on the vehicles, U.N. officials said, Israeli forces bulldozed and crushed the ambulances, a fire truck and the U.N. vehicle.
The Red Crescent said one medic was still missing. The lone survivor, a Red Crescent worker, was detained, beaten and released by Israeli forces the same day, according to the aid group. He told colleagues that Israeli forces had killed both of the other crew members in his ambulance, the Red Crescent and U.N. officials said.
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Of the 7 people involved, 0 were Red Crescent workers, six were emergency responders from Gaza’s civil defense and one was a U.N. worker, U.N. officials said.
The top U.N. humanitarian official in Gaza, Jonathan Whittall, joined the retrieval team and posted photos on X showing the crumpled vehicles — husks of mangled metal jutting from the sand. The large navy-blue “N” on the U.N. vehicle was still visible on it.
“One by one, they were hit, they were struck. Their bodies were gathered and buried in this mass grave,” he said in a video message shared by the United Nations.
Image
Mourners following the convoy carrying the bodies of members of the Red Crescent, as they were transported for burial, in Deir al Balah, Gaza, on Monday.Credit...Abdel Kareem Hana/Associated Press
Days after they went missing, the U.N. team looking for them witnessed new scenes of chaos and violence in Rafah, including “hundreds of civilians fleeing under gunfire,” Mr. Whittall said on X. One woman was shot in the back of the head, he said.
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
He posted a video showing what he said came next: Two men walked toward the road, apparently to retrieve the woman’s body. Then one of them was shot, too. Mr. Whittall did not say who fired the shots.
On Thursday, the U.N. convoy found the crumpled vehicles, U.N. officials said. Hours of digging yielded one body, a civil defense worker buried beneath his firetruck, Mr. Whittall said. They returned for the remaining bodies on Sunday.
Mr. Whittall narrated the search for the bodies in the video message.
“We’re digging them out in their uniforms, with their gloves on,” he said. “They were here to save lives. Instead, they ended up in a mass grave.”
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
The grave, he said, was marked with the emergency light from one of the destroyed ambulances.
Colonel Shoshani, the Israeli military spokesman, said the vehicles, unlike others along the same route earlier that day, had not received permission from Israeli forces to be there.
Nebal Farsakh, a Palestine Red Crescent Society spokeswoman, said that when the ambulances set out around :0 a.m. on March 2, Israeli forces had not yet closed off the area as a “red zone,” where ambulances must clear their movements with Israel.
Israel did not immediately address the accusations of burying people in mass graves or crushing their vehicles.
In all, the Red Crescent said, 27 of its medics have been killed since the war began.
A cease-fire paused fighting in Gaza from January until March 8, when Israel broke it.
Rawan Sheikh Ahmad and Aaron Boxerman contributed reporting from Jerusalem.
Vivian Yee is a Times reporter covering North Africa and the broader Middle East. She is based in Cairo.
Farnaz Fassihi is the United Nations bureau chief for The Times, leading coverage of the organization, and also covers Iran and the shadow war between Iran and Israel. She is based in New York.
A version of this article appears in print on April 2, 2025, Section A, Page 0 of the New York edition with the headline: Israel Killed 5 Gaza Rescue Workers, U.N. Says. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
See more on: The Israel-Hamas War, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, United Nations
Share full article
Related Content
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Save on The Times with our best offer: $/week for your first year.
Sale starts now
$/week for your first six months year.
Billed as $4 every four weeks, then $25 thereafter.
Learn more
Site Index
Site Information Navigation
© 2025 The New York Times Company
NYTCo
Contact Us
Accessibility
Work with us
Advertise
T Brand Studio
Privacy Policy
Cookie Policy
Terms of Service
Terms of Sale
Site Map
Canada
International
Help
Subscriptions
Your Privacy Choices
GoHome
U.S.Sections
U.S.
Politics
New York
California
Education
Health
Obituaries
Science
Climate
Weather
Sports
Business
Tech
The Upshot
The Magazine
Top Stories
N.Y.C. Mayor Election
Donald Trump
Supreme Court
Congress
Immigration
Abortion
Newsletters
The Morning
Make sense of the day’s news and ideas.
The Evening
Catch up on big news, and wind down to end your day.
See all newsletters
Podcasts
The Daily
The biggest stories of our time, in 20 minutes a day.
See all podcasts
WorldSections
World
Africa
Americas
Asia
Australia
Canada
Europe
Middle East
Science
Climate
Weather
Health
Obituaries
Top Stories
Middle East Crisis
Russia-Ukraine War
China International Relations
The Global Profile
Leer en Español
Newsletters
The World
A guide to understanding the news, made for readers around the globe.
The Interpreter
Original analysis on the week’s biggest global stories.
Your Places: Global Update
The latest news for any part of the world you select.
Canada Letter
Backstories and analysis from our Canadian correspondents.
See all newsletters
BusinessSections
Business
Tech
Economy
Media
Finance and Markets
DealBook
Personal Tech
Energy Transition
Your Money
Top Stories
U.S. Economy
Stock Market
Artificial Intelligence
Newsletters
DealBook
The most crucial business and policy news you need to know.
On Tech
Our best tech reporting from the week.
See all newsletters
Podcasts
Hard Fork
Our tech journalists help you make sense of the rapidly changing tech world.
See all podcasts
ArtsSections
Today's Arts
Book Review
Best Sellers
Dance
Movies
Music
Television
Theater
Pop Culture
T Magazine
Visual Arts
Recommendations
00 Best Movies of the 2st Century
Critic’s Picks
What to Read
What to Watch
What to Listen To
5 Minutes to Make You Love Music
Newsletters
Books
Reviews, news and features to help you find your next read.
Watching
Streaming TV and movie recommendations.
See all newsletters
Podcasts
Book Review
The podcast that takes you inside the literary world.
Popcast
Pop music news, new songs and albums, and artists of note.
See all podcasts
LifestyleSections
All Lifestyle
Well
Travel
Style
Real Estate
Food
Love
Your Money
Personal Tech
T Magazine
Columns
6 Hours
Ask Well
The Hunt
Modern Love
Where to Eat
Vows
Social Q’s
The Ethicist
Ask the Therapist
Newsletters
The Weekender
Unwind with stories about culture and the way we live.
Well
Essential news and guidance to live your healthiest life.
See all newsletters
Podcasts
Modern Love
The complicated love lives of real people.
See all podcasts
OpinionSections
Opinion
Guest Essays
Editorials
Op-Docs
Videos
Letters
Topics
Politics
World
Business
Tech
Climate
Health
Culture
Columnists
Jamelle Bouie
David Brooks
Gail Collins
Ross Douthat
Maureen Dowd
David French
Thomas L. Friedman
M. Gessen
Michelle Goldberg
Ezra Klein
Nicholas Kristof
Carlos Lozada
Tressie McMillan Cottom
Lydia Polgreen
Bret Stephens
Zeynep Tufekci
Podcasts
Interesting Times with Ross Douthat
Mapping the new world order through interviews and conversations.
The Opinions
You've heard the news, here's what to make of it.
The Ezra Klein Show
Discussions of ideas that matter, plus book recommendations.
See all podcasts
VideoPlaylists
Today's Videos
U.S.
Politics
Immigration
NY Region
Science
Business
Culture
Books
Wellness
World
Africa
Americas
Asia
South Asia
Donald Trump
Middle East Crisis
Russia-Ukraine Crisis
Visual Investigations
Opinion Video
See all videos
AudioListen
The Headlines
The Daily
Hard Fork
The Ezra Klein Show
Interesting Times
The Opinions
Serial Productions
The Book Review Podcast
Modern Love
Popcast
Reporter Reads
Cannonball
The Interview
See all audio
Featured
Cannonball with Wesley Morris
Come on in, the culture's fine.
The Headlines
Your morning listen. Top stories, in 0 minutes.
Serial: The Retrievals
Season 2
An investigation into
C-sections.
Newsletters
Audio
Our editors share their favorite listens from The Times and beyond.
Serial
Be the first to know about our new shows.
See all newsletters
Games
Word games, logic puzzles and crosswords, including an extensive archive.Go to Games
Play
Spelling Bee
The Mini Crossword
Wordle
The Crossword
Pips NEW
Strands
Connections
Sudoku
Letter Boxed
Tiles
Community
Spelling Bee Forum
Wordplay Column
Wordle Review
Submit a Crossword
Meet Our Crossword Constructors
Mini to Maestro
Wordlebot
Take the Puzzle Personality Quiz
Newsletters
Gameplay
Puzzles, brain teasers, solving tips and more.
Easy Mode
Get an easy version of one of the hardest crossword puzzles of the week.
See all newsletters
Cooking
Recipes, advice and inspiration for everyday cooking, special occasions and more.Go to Cooking
Recipes
Easy
Dinner
Quick
Healthy
Breakfast
Vegetarian
Vegan
Chicken
Pasta
Dessert
Editors' Picks
Easy Salmon Recipes
Grilling Recipes
Easy Weeknight
Newest Recipes
Cheap and Easy Dinner Ideas
Slow Cooker Recipes
Healthy Breakfast Ideas
Thanksgiving Recipes
Newsletters
The Cooking Newsletter
New recipes, easy dinner ideas and smart kitchen tips from Melissa Clark, Sam Sifton and our New York Times Cooking editors.
The Veggie
Delicious vegetarian recipes and tips from Tanya Sichynsky.
Five Weeknight Dishes
Dinner ideas for busy people from Emily Weinstein.
See all newsletters
Wirecutter
Reviews and recommendations for thousands of products.Go to Wirecutter
Reviews
Kitchen
Tech
Sleep
Appliances
Home and Garden
Moving
Travel
Gifts
Deals
Baby and Kid
Health and Fitness
The Best...
Air Purifier
Electric Toothbrush
Pressure Washer
Cordless Stick Vacuum
Office Chair
Robot Vacuum
Newsletters
The Recommendation
The best independent reviews, expert advice and intensively researched deals.
Clean Everything
Step-by-step advice on how to keep everything in your home squeaky clean.
See all newsletters
The Athletic
Personalized coverage of your sports teams and leagues.Go to The Athletic
Leagues
NFL
NBA
NHL
Premier League
MLB
College Football
NCAAM
NCAAW
Tennis
F
Fantasy amp Betting
WNBA
Top Stories
NBA Playoffs
MLB Standings
Soccer Transfers
Newsletters
The Pulse
Delivering the top stories in sports, Sunday to Friday.
Scoop City
The top stories in the NFL, from Jacob Robinson with Dianna Russini.
See all newsletters
Play
Connections:
Sports Edition
Connections Coach
U.S.
International
Canada
Español
中文