Admitting ‘Errors,’ IDF Fires Officer Over Killing of 15 Rescue Workers in Gaza’s Rafah

The IDF on Sunday, April 20, announced the dismissal of the deputy commander of the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit over an incident on March 23 in which his forces opened fire on a convoy of ambulances and emergency vehicles in southern Gaza’s Rafah, killing 15 rescue workers.

The commander was also being removed from his role for his “partial and inaccurate” report of the incident during a preliminary investigation, the military said. 

Additionally, the IDF said the commander of the 14th Reserve Armored Brigade — the unit leading the operation in Rafah when the killing of the medics took place — was being formally censured for his “overall responsibility for the incident,” including the management of the scene afterwards. 

The moves, decided by the chief of the Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, and approved by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, came following an investigation into the incident led by Maj. Gen. (res.) Yoav Har-Even, head of the General Staff Fact-Finding Assessment Mechanism, an independent military body responsible for investigating unusual incidents during the war.

Har-Even’s investigation found that there were no violations of the IDF’s code of ethics during the incident, but there were several “professional errors” and actions by troops that breached military protocol, alongside a failure to fully report the incident. (TOI/VFI News) 

“Dear God, we pray for all the innocent civilians who have lost their lives during the war. We pray that You comfort their families and bring them close to You and Your Son amidst all their troubles. We pray that You guide all the IDF personnel to act according to protocols and prevent unfortunate accidents from happening amid the war. In Yeshua's name we pray, amen.”