Following an investigation into the March 23 incident that resulted in the killing of 15 Palestinians by Israeli fire — a case that drew international attention — Israel Defense Forces dismissed one officer and reprimanded another for breaches of protocol and professional misconduct.
In a statement published on Sunday, the IDF emphasized that the army’s code of ethics was not violated; however, “the examination identified several professional failures, breaches of orders, and a failure to fully report the incident.”
The IDF was excoriated by media around the world, as well as by the United Nations, after the Palestinian Red Crescent Society accused it of killing 15 workers “in cold blood,” despite being marked as medical and humanitarian aid personnel.
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The IDF later discovered that at least six of the individuals were members of the Hamas terrorist organization.
The investigation of the incident was conducted by the General Staff Fact-Finding Mechanism, a separate unit from the operational chain of command.
After receiving the results of its findings, Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir issued a reprimand — to be recorded in his personal file — to the colonel in command of the 14th Brigade who led the operation, for “his overall responsibility for the incident, including the procedure of combat and management of the scene afterward.”
In addition, the major, the deputy commander of the Golani Reconnaissance Battalion who led the force in the field, will be dismissed from his position “due to his responsibilities as the field commander in this incident and for providing an incomplete and inaccurate report during the debrief,” the IDF stated.
According to Ynet News, the 36th Division is conducting another probe of the incident and may take additional disciplinary measures against the soldiers involved.
The findings were also submitted to the Military Attorney’s Office to determine whether there are sufficient grounds to launch a criminal investigation by the Military Police.
The incident occurred during a nighttime IDF ambush in the Tel al-Sultan area of Rafah.
The IDF stressed that the incident happened “in a hostile and dangerous combat zone,” in the context of “the responsibility of the IDF to respect and protect medical teams … while also confronting Hamas’ repeated use of such infrastructure for terrorism, including using ambulances to transport terrorists and weapons.”
During the Golani Brigade soldiers’ ambush, several vehicles passed safely along the observed route, indicating that the troops did not fire indiscriminately or intentionally target ambulances, according to the investigation.
The incident began when soldiers fired on a nearby Hamas vehicle, killing its passengers. Shortly afterward, several vehicles — including an ambulance and a firetruck — traveled along the same road, while two other Palestinians who passed by on foot were detained and later released.
An hour after the first shooting, a firetruck and ambulances quickly approached the scene of the first shooting and surveillance units alerted the ambush team.
“The deputy battalion commander assessed the vehicles as employed by Hamas forces, who arrived to assist the first vehicle’s passengers. Under this impression and sense of threat, he ordered to open fire,” the probe revealed.
The IDF initially said the vehicles approached “without headlights or emergency signals,” based on the testimony of the deputy battalion commander. However, a video published by The New York Times contradicted this.
The probe found that “due to poor night visibility, the deputy commander did not initially recognize the vehicles as ambulances.”
According to Ynet, the investigation showed that the officer’s insufficient field of view or thermal night vision equipment prevented him from accurately distinguishing between the flashing lights of a firetruck and those of a police vehicle.
He allegedly claimed that he opened fire because he thought the first car was a large Hamas police vehicle, aware that a Hamas police checkpoint was located nearby.
When the soldiers approached the truck, they found two deceased passengers, later identified as Hamas members, and a third who had survived and was detained. He was interrogated and later released, further indicating that the soldiers did not attempt to “execute” all the passengers or hide evidence from the incident, contrary to Palestinian claims.
“The examination found no evidence to support claims of execution or that any of the deceased were bound before or after the shooting. Such claims are blood libels and false accusations against IDF soldiers.”
“Fifteen Palestinians were killed, six of whom were identified in a retrospective examination as Hamas terrorists,” the IDF concluded.
The first two incidents were determined to be “operational misunderstandings,” as the soldiers reasonably believed they were facing “a tangible threat from enemy forces.”
A third incident took place shortly afterward, when the troops “fired at a Palestinian UN vehicle due to operational errors in breach of regulations. The troops’ commander initially reported the event, and additional details emerged later in the examination.”
This “involved a breach of orders during a combat setting,” according to the probe.
Responding to claims that the soldiers then tried to hide the evidence by burying the bodies and crushing the vehicles, the IDF said that “it was decided to gather and cover the bodies to prevent further harm and clear the vehicles from the route in preparation for civilian evacuation.”
It is standard protocol in Gaza for the IDF to cover bodies with sand to prevent them from being eaten by stray dogs and other animals.
“The examination concluded that removing the bodies was reasonable under the circumstances, but the decision to crush the vehicles was wrong. In general, there was no attempt to conceal the event, which was discussed with international organizations and the UN.”
In its statement, the military stressed that “the deputy commander of the Golani Reconnaissance Battalion is a highly respected officer, whose military service and personal story reflect a spirit of combat, volunteerism, and great dedication.”
“Following October 7, he returned from abroad to serve in reserve duty, continued to operate in Gaza until he was injured in the combat, and returned to service after his recovery.”
The IDF further emphasized its regret over the harm caused to uninvolved civilians and vowed to continue learning from such incidents to prevent future occurrences.
“Existing protocols have been clarified and reinforced — emphasizing the need for heightened caution when operating near rescue forces and medical personnel, even in high-intensity combat zones,” the IDF concluded.
In addition, IDF International Spokesman Lt.-Col. Nadav Shoshani acknowledged that the army’s “initial reports were faulty,” and were based “on real-time updates from the forces on the ground.”
“As a spokesperson, my mission statement is to give honest and accurate information, especially when it comes to difficult events. There was never any intention to mislead or deceive the public or media. We have learned from this, implemented our lessons, and held those accountable responsible both for the incident and the faulty report. The IDF is committed to truth and transparency, as a foundation of our operations.”
This article was originally published by All Israel News.
ALL ISRAEL NEWS is based in Jerusalem and is a trusted source of news, analysis and information from Israel to our Christian friends around the world.
