The Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) rules of engagement in its ongoing war with the Palestinian Hamas movement have faced a new wave of mounting scrutiny after an incident in which 15 rescue workers were killed last month.
As Israel continues to investigate the incident, with new footage appearing to contradict earlier IDF accounts, Hamas has warned the majority of living hostages held by the group since its October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war are located in parts of Gaza set to come under attack by Israel.
Speaking to Newsweek during a virtual press briefing on Saturday, an Israeli military official said the IDF is trying to improve on its ability to navigate the tense operating environment and avoid killing their own in the pursuit of rescuing hostages and defeating Hamas.
“We keep updating the way we operate all the time to make sure that we’re not endangering the hostages in our operations because our goal is to free the hostages and to bring them home, as many of them as we can,” the Israeli military official said.
They added: “And we keep learning and gathering more information and making our operations more accurate to achieve both of our goals, which is very difficult in the current situation in Gaza. But we’re doing our best to improve on that.”
Why It Matters
Of the 251 hostages seized during the initial stages of the war nearly 17 months ago, 59 are believed to still be in Gaza, 24 of whom are still believed to be alive. Most of the living and dead captives were exchanged during two ceasefire deals reached in November 2023 and in January of this year, but the IDF’s decision to renew operations last month has prompted new concerns over the wellbeing of the hostages.
Hamas has repeatedly accused Israel of killing hostages, along with scores of Palestinian civilians, throughout its offensives in Gaza. Israel has argued that the militant group deliberately used civilians and hostages as human shields, and that some freed hostages showed signs of execution.
With the IDF set to intensify operations, Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades military wing spokesperson Abu Obeida said on Thursday that “half of the living Israeli prisoners are located in areas in which the Israeli occupation army has requested to be evacuated in recent days.”
“We have decided not to transfer these prisoners from these areas, and to keep them under strict security measures, which are extremely dangerous to their lives,” Abu Obeida said. “If the enemy is concerned about the lives of these prisoners, they must immediately negotiate their evacuation or release.”
The following day, the group released a video showing Israeli hostages Bar Kupershtein and Maksym Harkin accusing the Israeli government of putting their lives in danger. The two men appealed to the Israeli people to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into pursuing a new ceasefire agreement before revealing the message, “Time Is Running Out.”
Meanwhile, Hamas has channeled the controversy surrounding the killing of Palestinian medics and emergency workers in the Tel Sultan area by Israeli forces on March 23 in an attempt to prove the IDF used indiscriminate force in its operations.
“Exposing yet another war crime in Israel’s genocidal campaign, newly uncovered footage – recovered from a murdered Palestinian medic’s phone in a mass grave containing 15 executed medical workers – captures the deliberate, cold-blooded slaughter of clearly marked ambulances and civil defense teams with flashing emergency lights as they performed lifesaving duties,” Hamas said in a statement Friday.
It continued: “This irrefutable visual evidence shatters the occupation’s fabricated ‘suspicious movement’ lies, proving systematic targeting of humanitarian personnel and constituting a premeditated murder under international law.”
What To Know
The IDF is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the three-week-old incident in which the Israeli military initially stated it had opened fire on a “suspicious” convoy approaching troops without headlights or emergency signals.
Among the dead were eight Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics, six Palestinian Civil Defense workers and a United Nations employee, all of whom were buried by Israeli forces along with their vehicles, which had been destroyed. Survivors have said their vehicles were operating routinely when they suddenly came under fire.
On Friday, the Palestinian Red Crescent released mobile phone footage said to have been recovered from one of the slain medics. The clip appeared to show emergency vehicles with flashing lights and full insignia as well as individuals with reflective gear approaching a vehicle lying on the side of the road before gunshots ring out for more than five minutes.
The Israeli military official with whom Newsweek spoke with on Saturday attempted to outline the chain of events as understood by the IDF in the current phase of its investigation.
Prior to opening fire on the medical convoy at around 6 a.m. local time, Israeli forces were said to have engaged a “Hamas vehicle” at 4 a.m. in a nearby area of Tel Sultan, killing two people and capturing one for interrogation. The captured individual “admits that he was from Hamas,” according to the Israeli military official’s recollection of the accounts provided.
Over the course of the next two hours, ambulances and other cars reportedly passed the road, where the alleged Hamas vehicle was still located. Israeli forces then received a report at 6 a.m. based on aerial surveillance of a convoy “moving in a suspicious way” toward the scene of the initial incident, prompting them to “open fire from afar,” according to the Israeli military official.
After a process of identification, the Israeli military official was able to identify “part” of the slain second group as “terrorists” based on “intelligence and then evidence on the ground,” according to the Israeli military official, who noted that the IDF had previously established “at least six” of those killed were believed to Hamas members with “very high confidence.”
Now, the Israeli military official said this figure, along with all of the details of the incident, are being subject to additional investigation
“Hamas doesn’t wear uniforms. We’ve seen them abuse time and time again U.N. facilities, hospitals. We’ve seen them take hostages into hospitals, schools, all of that,” the Israeli military official said. “So, we know who we’re facing, and we understand, and again, we’re trying to understand, were all the people connected, were part of the people connected?”
“After seeing the video, I understood and immediately called Southern Command and told them, they have to recheck—obviously, we’re rechecking everything—but to give us answers about why this video shows lights, while we spoke about the vehicles moving without the lights on.”
“Once the investigation is finished, I think we’ll have some lessons learned for ourselves, [and] for me, myself,” the Israeli military official added.
What People Are Saying
An Israeli military official during a virtual press briefing Saturday regarding the March 23 incident in which Palestinian medics were killed: “This investigation isn’t over, and we’ll put the information out once it is, but we still, from the information we have, understand that there were terrorists there. It’s not the first time Hamas has abused ambulances. I don’t think it will be the last time. But again, we’re looking into this, and this is initial information we have.”
Al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obeida discussing the plight of the hostages held by Hamas in a statement Thursday: “The Netanyahu government bears full responsibility for the lives of the prisoners. Had they been concerned about them, they would have adhered to the agreement signed in January. Most of them would probably be in their homes today.”
What Happens Next?
While Hamas’ alleged atrocities have garnered global condemnation since the beginning of the war, Israel has also faced a mounting international backlash over the conduct of its forces throughout the conflict. Israeli officials argue that their internal legal procedures, including IDF investigative bodies, were appropriate for handling any suspected violations of the laws of war.
An updated report on the investigation into the March 23 incident is expected to be presented on Sunday to IDF Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir.
Netanyahu’s office has reported that the Israeli leader is headed to Washington, D.C. to meet with President Donald Trump. Part of their upcoming conversation is set to revolve around their “battle against the International Criminal Court,” which issued an arrest warrant last November for the Israeli premier and his former defense chief, as well as three top Hamas leaders, all of whom have since been killed since the Hague-based court initially began its war crime probe last May.
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