While the Israel military stated that it “regrets the harm caused to uninvolved civilians,” it argued its soldiers were conducting a “vital mission” targeting Hamas terrorists and reiterated the claim that Hamas uses medical and humanitarian infrastructure “for terrorism, including using ambulances to transport terrorists and weapons.”
The report says that “in general” there was no attempt to conceal the event, despite recognizing soldiers buried the bodies and crushed the ambulances, asserting that doing the latter “was wrong.”
The military first claimed soldiers opened fire on vehicles without lights or markings approaching in the dark. But after a video recovered from the mobile phone of one of those killed emerged showing clearly marked ambulances with their lights on, the military changed its account.
In its final accounts of the event, the Israel military says the troops opened fire to “suspects” emerging from a fire truck and ambulances “after perceiving an immediate and tangible threat.”
With the vehicles approaching quickly, the deputy commander assessed the vehicles as employed by Hamas forces and order to open fire.
“Due to poor night visibility, the deputy commander did not initially recognize the vehicles as ambulances,” the report said, “only later, after approaching the vehicles and scanning them, was it discovered that these were indeed rescue teams.”