Israeli occupation forces have executed 14 Palestinian rescuers in Rafah, targeting them while they carried out life-saving missions. Their bodies were recovered a week after their disappearance, buried beneath the rubble left by Israeli strikes.

Among the victims were eight members of the Palestinian Red Crescent, five civil defence workers, and a staff member from a UN agency. Another rescuer remains missing, feared to have been detained by Israeli forces. The massacre, condemned by humanitarian organisations, is a blatant violation of international law and an assault on those risking their lives to save others.

The attack occurred on 22 March when Israeli forces opened fire on ambulances and fire trucks in the Hashashin neighbourhood. In the days that followed, attempts to locate the missing rescuers were obstructed by continued Israeli aggression. When access was finally granted, bodies were found hastily buried at the scene of the attack.

The President of the Palestinian Red Crescent, Younis al-Khatib, denounced the killings, stating that these were not just numbers but human beings whose deaths would have sparked international outrage had they occurred elsewhere. The deliberate targeting of medics, he said, reflects the impunity with which Israel operates, trampling on all humanitarian conventions.

This massacre is part of a wider pattern of attacks on humanitarian workers. Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza, more than 50,300 Palestinians have been killed, including aid workers from organisations such as World Central Kitchen and the UK-based Al-Khair Foundation. The ongoing targeting of rescuers and relief workers underscores Israel’s determination to eliminate all witnesses to its crimes, silencing those who document the suffering and those who attempt to alleviate it.