Bodies of Missing Aid Workers Found in Gaza ‘Mass Grave’ After Israeli Attacks

The bodies of more than a dozen aid workers have been recovered from what the United Nations has described as a “mass grave” in southern Gaza, a week after they went missing following Israeli military attacks.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) confirmed Sunday that 14 bodies were recovered from the southern Rafah area. Among them were eight PRCS members, five civil defense workers, and one UN agency employee. Another PRCS medic remains missing. Last Thursday, the body of a fifteenth victim, a civil defense worker, was also recovered after PRCS was initially denied access to the site.

On March 23, PRCS reported that nine of its emergency medical technicians had gone missing after Israeli forces fired on ambulances and fire trucks in Rafah. The Israeli military later claimed it targeted the vehicles because they were allegedly being used as cover by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants.

International aid organizations and the UN strongly condemned the attacks, with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) calling it the “single most deadly” incident for IFRC workers in nearly a decade.

“This massacre of our team is a tragedy not only for us at the Palestine Red Crescent Society but also for humanitarian work and humanity,” PRCS stated, calling the attacks on medics a “war crime” under international law.

The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it took a week-long, complex rescue operation involving bulldozers and heavy machinery to retrieve the bodies and their vehicles from beneath the sand.

“Health workers should never be a target. And yet, we’re here today, digging up a mass grave of first responders and paramedics,” said Jonathan Whittall, head of UNOCHA in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Video footage shared by UNOCHA showed emergency responders using shovels to recover bodies, some of whom were still wearing PRCS vests. Ambulances, UN vehicles, and civil defense trucks were found crushed and buried, leading to accusations that Israeli forces attempted to cover up the scene.

UNOCHA’s early findings indicate that the first team of aid workers dispatched on March 23 was killed by Israeli forces. Additional emergency crews who later arrived to search for missing colleagues were also struck over the following hours.

“One by one, they were hit, they were struck, their bodies were gathered and buried,” Whittall said. “We’re digging them out in their uniforms, with their gloves on.”

According to PRCS, their medics were dispatched to Rafah’s Al-Hashashin area to respond to Israeli attacks when they were targeted. Gaza’s Civil Defense later reported that six of its staff also went missing after being sent to the same location.

The Israeli military claimed it fired at “suspicious vehicles,” including ambulances and fire trucks, which were allegedly advancing toward troops without prior coordination or emergency signals. The military stated that it had “eliminated” Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants and accused these groups of using medical vehicles for militant purposes.

The attacks on aid workers occurred amid Israel’s intensified assault on Gaza, following the collapse of a ceasefire with Hamas. Since March 18, Israeli military actions have killed at least 921 Palestinians and injured more than 2,000, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. CNN has not independently verified these figures, as Israel restricts foreign journalists from entering Gaza.

The crisis has been exacerbated by Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid, which has been in place for nearly a month. Aid organizations accuse Israel of violating international law by restricting aid and using starvation as a weapon of war.

Global humanitarian organizations continue to denounce Israeli attacks on medical personnel and facilities.

“Even in the most complex conflict zones, there are rules. International Humanitarian Law is clear—civilians must be protected; humanitarians must be protected. Health services must be protected,” said Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General of the IFRC.

Israeli forces have also been accused of targeting hospitals, including the Nasser Medical Complex, Gaza’s largest functioning hospital, which has faced bombardments and raids.

Since October 7, 2023, at least 400 aid workers—including doctors, nurses, and teachers—have been killed in Gaza, according to OCHA. PRCS reports that 27 of its staff members have died in the line of duty during the ongoing conflict.

PRCS condemned the targeting of its medics, stating, “This can only be considered a war crime punishable under international humanitarian law, which the occupation continues to violate before the eyes of the entire world.”

Meanwhile, Gaza’s health officials say the overall death toll has surpassed 50,000, underscoring the staggering humanitarian cost of a war with no resolution in sight.