Palestinian Medic Released After Detention Amidst Controversial Israeli Attack

Assad al-Nassasra, a Palestinian medic, has been released after 37 days in Israeli custody, following an attack in which 15 emergency workers were killed. The incident has elicited strong denouncements from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, which refutes the Israeli military's internal inquiry findings, asserting a need for genuine accountability.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) announced the release of Assad al-Nassasra, a paramedic detained by Israeli forces during a deadly attack in southern Gaza last month that resulted in the deaths of 15 emergency workers. Al-Nassasra had been missing for three weeks until the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed his detention. He was among 10 detainees released at an Israeli border crossing with Gaza on Tuesday.

The Israeli military has not issued an official comment on the release, though it previously acknowledged holding al-Nassasra during an internal inquiry that identified "several professional failures" related to the attack. The PRCS condemned this inquiry, labeling the findings as an attempt to whitewash what they describe as a "war crime."

On March 23, during an emergency response in the Tal al-Sultan area of Rafah, 14 PRCS paramedics and civil defense workers, along with a United Nations employee, were killed when their vehicles came under fire. Their bodies were discovered a week later, buried near their destroyed vehicles. A surviving paramedic reported being detained alongside al-Nassasra, only to be released by Israeli forces.

Initially, the Israeli military stated that its troops had fired upon "suspicious vehicles" following a period of darkness, claiming the vehicles did not have their headlights or emergency lights activated. However, this narrative shifted after a video recovered from the phone of one of the deceased paramedics, Rifaat Radwan, demonstrated that the ambulances were utilizing their emergency lights before being targeted.

Findings from the internal inquiry revealed that the shooting stemmed from an "operational misunderstanding" by troops, who believed they were facing a genuine threat. The inquiry resulted in the dismissal of the deputy commander of the reconnaissance battalion involved in the incident for his incomplete report. The PRCS, however, described these conclusions as indicative of Israel's "systemic distortion of the truth," aimed at shielding its military personnel from accountability.

A senior UN humanitarian official in Gaza expressed concern that continued lack of accountability undermines international law, contributing to a more perilous global environment. The ongoing struggle for accountability and the protection of medical missions amidst armed conflict remain pressing issues in the region.