A Chilling Recount of a Massacre

In a chilling recount of a massacre that shook Gaza, Munther Abed, a 27-year-old volunteer medic with the Red Crescent, shared a harrowing experience that left him as one of the few survivors of an attack on paramedics during a recent airstrike.

The Attack

On the morning of March 23, chaos erupted in the Hashashin district of Rafah as Israeli troops opened fire on Red Crescent ambulances and rescue vehicles responding to the aftermath of an airstrike. Abed was in the back of the first ambulance to reach the scene when it came under heavy fire; tragically, his two colleagues in the front were killed instantly while he managed to survive by throwing himself to the floor.

A Desperate Situation

As he recounted the terrifying moments, Abed described how, after the shooting stopped, Israeli special forces descended upon the ambulance, violently dragging him out and forcing him face down to obscure the fate of his fallen comrades. “They kept me bound and blindfolded, as I listened helplessly to the sounds of their last breaths,” he told reporters.

Casualties and Tragedy

During this time, he watched from the ground as additional ambulances and civil defense vehicles continued to approach the scene, only to be met with the same lethal gunfire. In total, eight Red Crescent personnel, six civil defense workers, and a UN employee were confirmed dead, with their bodies subsequently discovered buried in a pit, which Abed witnessed being dug by an Israeli bulldozer.

Missing and Detained

Compounding the tragedy, while a Red Crescent officer, Assad al-Nassara, remains missing, Abed reported seeing him detained by the Israeli forces.

IDF's Response and Controversy

Amid rising international criticism, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced they would investigate the incident; however, they have maintained that they targeted what they claimed were “suspicious vehicles.” This assertion was vehemently rejected by Abed, who confirmed that their ambulance had its emergency lights activated and was clearly marked with the Red Crescent logo. “This was a civilian area, and we were responding to an emergency,” he insisted.

Surviving the Horror

At 4:20 AM, nearly two hours after the airstrike, Abed decided to take cover as gunfire erupted. The horror became unbearable as he recited verses from the Qur’an, fearing for his life. He endured not only the trauma of witnessing his colleagues’ deaths but also brutal treatment at the hands of the Israeli soldiers, which included beatings and threats to his life.

Witnessing Cruelty

Abed described seeing other civilians bound and forced to lie on the ground alongside him. “I could hardly believe the cruelty unfolding before my eyes,” he said, recalling the images of families caught in the crossfire—the dead body of a child cradled in a mother’s arms and other bystanders shot and left behind.

Military Presence and Evidence Removal

As morning light broke, Israeli forces deployed tanks and other military equipment to the area. The bulldozer they brought subsequently buried the wreckage of the ambulances, effectively erasing the evidence of this atrocity.

Aftermath and Release

After several hours of brutal treatment and being forced to assist Israeli troops in conducting searches of local civilians, Abed was finally released. He returned to al-Mawasi, traumatized and in pain, yet determined to share the truth of what he endured.

A Call for Accountability

This story sheds light on the increasing peril faced by humanitarian workers in conflict zones. Abed, who has dedicated nearly a decade of his life to serving as a paramedic, emphasized that for those like him, each mission could be their last. “We operate out of love, but the realities have skewed dangerously toward lethal,” he lamented.

Conclusion

As calls for accountability grow louder, this incident raises pressing questions about the treatment of medical personnel in combat zones, the rules of war, and the desperate need for protection for those who dedicate their lives to saving others.