The paramedics and rescue employees killed in Israeli Gaza taking pictures final month died primarily from rifles to move or chest, whereas others had accidents to shrapnel or different wounds, in response to post-mortem stories derived from The New York Instances.
Israeli troops fired at ambulances and a fireplace truck despatched by the Palestinian purple crescent and civil protection as per WitnessesVideo and audio of the assault on March 23.
Israel recognized The assault, which killed 15 males: 14 rescuers and an worker of the United Nations, who drove after the taking pictures of the others. Israeli troopers buried a lot of the our bodies in a mass grave, crushed the ambulances, the fireplace truck and the UN car and buried them.
Israeli navy supplied shift Why his troops fired at emergency autos and stated, with out offering proof that among the victims had been Hamas’s operatives. Israeli navy stated it was investigating the homicide.
The episode attracted worldwide condemnation and specialists outline it as a conflict crime.
Autopsies had been carried out between April 1 and 5, in response to stories, after a staff of assistants to assist Restore the bodies of men from southern fuel. The Instances reviewed the post-mortem outcomes for all males besides the UN worker. They had been carried out by Dr. Ahmad Dhair, head of the Gazan Forensics Division of the Ministry of Well being.
Dr. Arne Strai-Pedersen, a forensic pathologist on the College Hospital in Oslo in Norway, who was in Gaza earlier in March to coach medical doctors in forensic drugs, look at post-mortem photographs and seek the advice of with Dr. Dhair to put in writing a abstract.
The 14 males had been dressed both with their purple crescent or civil protection uniforms, partly or fully, throughout dying, reported in post-mortem stories. Video of a part of the attack It exhibits that when Israeli troops began firing at them, a number of of the paramedics had been out of their autos and had been clearly seen of their uniforms, with reflecting straps via the again, legs and arms that shone brightly within the lights of the ambulances.
Post-mortem stories say that 11 males had firearms, together with at the very least six who had been shot of their chest or backs and 4 who had been shot within the head. Most have been shot repeatedly.
One man had a number of wounds from shrapnel within the chest and stomach; The opposite two had accidents stated that post-mortem stories had been “consecutive” to shrapnel, in all probability associated to explosion. Whereas extended firing may be heard on the video and in audio information on among the assault, it’s unclear if there was a further blast that will have triggered such accidents.
A number of our bodies lack limbs or different elements of the physique, the stories say. One particular person’s physique was torn from the pelvis, stated in his post-mortem report.
All our bodies had been partially or severely decomposed, in response to the stories and photographs of the post-mortem. This has challenged additional conclusions, together with whether or not males had been shot at shut vary or additional, Dr. Strai-Pedersen stated in an interview.
After analyzing the primary few our bodies on the finish of March, Dr. Dhair had informed The Instances and different information editions {that a} sufferer had Brands and bruises His wrists counsel that his arms have been tied. Dhair warned {that a} additional investigation is required to find out if that is so.
Post-mortem stories don’t point out whether or not any of the lads was certain.
The spokesman for the purple crescent, Nebal Farsach, additionally stated {that a} paramedic was discovered together with his arms and ft tied. She didn’t instantly reply to a request for a touch upon Tuesday.
Dr. Stray-Pedersen started to seek the advice of on post-mortem after the Ministry of Well being in Gazan sought assist from NORWAC, a Norwegian assist group, in response to a draft abstract report. He stated in an interview that he and Dhair would proceed to investigate the outcomes earlier than issuing a ultimate report.
“I particularly have a look at any doable fashions in the event that they had been all killed in the identical approach or if some have further wounds,” stated Dr. Strai-Pedersen.
In its original statement Following the assault, the Israeli navy stated males had been “advantageous” with out their lights. He backed away on this statement After the exit of videoWhich confirmed the clearly marked autos that blink their lights and stopped earlier than the assault.
The primary story of the Israeli navy additionally stated that 9 of the killed had been operatives for Hamas or Palestinian Islamic jihad, one other belligerent group. Later, he reviewed this situation, saying that six of them had been Hamas operatives.
He stated he wouldn’t remark additional till his investigation was over.
Abubakr Abdelbagi and Naziha Baassiri contributed to reporting.
