Three Palestinian paramedics killed by 'Israeli' tank shell while on duty
Three Palestinian paramedics were killed by an 'Israeli' tank shell as they attempted to evacuate wounded individuals from a home in Gaza City, the Gaza Interior Ministry's Medical Services Directorate announced Tuesday.
In a statement, the directorate mourned the three members of its Ambulance and Emergency department, saying they "were killed by Israeli occupation fire while performing their humanitarian duty." The attack occurred Monday night in the Tuffah neighborhood, northeast of Gaza City.
The paramedics were attempting to reach several injured people inside a house that had been targeted by 'Israeli' forces when they were struck.
The statement added that the three were killed instantly by a "direct hit from an Israeli tank shell." According to the directorate, another ambulance crew that attempted to reach the scene to retrieve the bodies came under fire from 'Israeli' military vehicles and drones, preventing their access.
"After strenuous efforts, our crews were able to retrieve the martyrs from the targeted location this morning, several hours after the incident occurred," the statement continued.
The Medical Services Directorate has called on the international community and all relevant institutions to open an "urgent international investigation into this Israeli crime." It also pleaded for "the provision of protection for medical teams and to work to prevent the occupation's repeated targeting of them during the course of their duties."
The directorate affirmed it would continue its humanitarian mission despite the significant risks. In a separate statement on Tuesday, Hamas condemned the attack, calling the targeting of the ambulance crew "a compound war crime, added to the black record of the Zionist occupation."
"Targeting those who rescue the victims represents an unprecedented level of brutality and criminality, and reveals the occupation's endeavor to choke all tools of survival and rescue in Gaza," the Hamas statement read.
The group called on the international community and the United Nations to "bear their responsibility in stopping the occupation's crimes, holding its fascist leaders accountable, and saving the credibility of the international system, which is facing a historic test."
