Gaza City: Three Palestinian paramedics were killed by an Israeli tank shell while attempting to evacuate injured civilians in Gaza City, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday. A ministry statement reported that an Israeli tank directly targeted the paramedics as they were evacuating civilians injured in an Israeli strike on a house in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood in eastern Gaza City on Monday night.
According to Anadolu Agency, a second ambulance team attempting to recover the bodies of the paramedics also came under fire from Israeli drones and military vehicles. The Interior Ministry has called for an international investigation into Israeli attacks on paramedics and demanded protection for first responders.
The Palestinian group Hamas condemned the deadly attack, labeling it as a "complex war crime that is added to the black record of the Israeli occupation." The group and other Palestinian authorities have called for swift international intervention.
The Gaza authorities report that at least 1,580 medical staffers, including doctors and first responders, have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 2023. Meanwhile, the Israeli army has continued its offensive against Gaza, which has claimed nearly 55,000 Palestinian lives, most of whom are women and children.
In a related development, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Furthermore, Israel is currently facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the enclave.