Israel Commits Heinous War Crime, Gets Exposed – Again

In a harrowing revelation, recently recovered mobile phone footage has cast significant doubt on the Israeli Defense Forces’ (IDF) account of a tragic incident that led to the deaths of 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers in Gaza. This evidence suggests a deliberate targeting of medical personnel, potentially constituting a war crime.

A single cell phone—drenched in dust, cracked, and found among the bloodied remains of a Palestinian medic—may dismantle an official Israeli narrative and expose a calculated effort to cover up one of the gravest humanitarian crimes in the Gaza Strip to date.

The phone belonged to 25-year-old Rifat Radwan, a volunteer paramedic with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS). He was among 15 aid workers—eight medics, six civil defense responders, and a UN field officer—killed on March 23, 2025, in Tel al-Sultan. The newly unearthed video from his phone contradicts Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claims that the vehicles were unmarked and posed a military threat. Instead, the footage depicts flashing emergency lights, clearly identifiable ambulance markings, and unarmed responders providing aid—until Israeli fire rains down on them.

This footage, which multiple western media companies have independently verified and cross-referenced with satellite imagery and eyewitness testimonies, reveals not only the deliberate targeting of humanitarian responders but suggests a larger, more chilling objective: concealment.

The Associated Press released the video found on the phone on the body of one of the medics showing the ambulances had headlights on, wee clearly marked and the medics wore reflective gear.

A Massacre in Real Time

On March 23, 2025, amidst escalating tensions in Gaza’s Tel al-Sultan district, a convoy of clearly marked ambulances and emergency vehicles responded to a distress call to assist victims of an airstrike. Contrary to the IDF’s initial claims that these vehicles approached without proper identification or signals, the footage retrieved from slain paramedic Rifat Radwan’s phone depicts a different scenario. The video shows ambulances with headlights on and emergency lights flashing, indicating their medical nature and purpose. As they approached the site, they came under unprovoked heavy gunfire from Israeli forces, leading to the deaths of eight Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) medics, six Civil Defense workers, and a United Nations employee.

The incident occurred just after midnight. Emergency vehicles, responding to a series of airstrikes, cautiously entered Tel al-Sultan’s rubble-lined streets. Radwan’s phone, mounted to the ambulance dashboard, captured their coordinated approach—headlights off to avoid sniper fire, but roof-mounted red strobes pulsing through the night. Moments later, gunfire erupts. The camera jolts. Screams. Glass shattering. Then silence.

What Israeli officials initially described as a “tragic misidentification of an unidentified convoy in a high-threat zone” has now been debunked by this timestamped footage. It leaves little room for doubt: the convoy was unmistakably medical in nature. The paramedics, according to multiple sources and the Red Crescent, had reported their presence to both the UN and Israeli authorities prior to entry.

Further compounding the gravity of the situation are allegations that some of the paramedics were executed at close range. Witnesses and medical officials reported that several bodies exhibited signs consistent with execution-style killings, including gunshot wounds to the head and chest, with some victims found with their hands or legs bound. Additionally, there are claims that Israeli forces attempted to conceal the killings by burying the bodies and their vehicles in mass graves, actions that, if substantiated, could amount to efforts to cover up the incident.

“They Were Executed”

When search teams finally reached the site 36 hours later—delayed by ongoing shelling—they discovered not only charred medical vehicles but signs of execution. Bodies showed close-range gunshot wounds. Some were found with limbs bound. Rifat Radwan’s body was discovered near a mass grave site with the phone still intact in his jacket pocket. PRCS Director Dr. Sami Dawoud, visibly shaken, told Truthlytics: “These were not casualties of crossfire. They were executed—shot in the head, some after being dragged from their vehicles.”

A joint forensic analysis by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) confirmed the findings. “This meets the criteria for a war crime under international humanitarian law,” stated OHCHR lead investigator Arwa Khalil. “It may also constitute a violation of the Geneva Conventions, specifically regarding the protection of medical personnel during armed conflict.”

The Buried Truth

Perhaps most damning is what followed the killings. Satellite imagery obtained by Truthlytics shows bulldozers—operated by Israeli engineering units—arriving hours after the incident. Local sources allege that the vehicles and bodies were dragged to a nearby pit and hastily buried. The goal, they claim, was to erase evidence before international observers could investigate.

“This was not just an attack,” said Yara Al-Khatib, a Gaza-based human rights researcher. “It was a coordinated attempt to cover it up.”

Following the release of Radwan’s footage, the IDF issued a rare public statement admitting “operational discrepancies” and “tragic outcomes” but stopped short of accepting responsibility. No Israeli personnel have been suspended or indicted to date.

Echoes of a Pattern

This is not the first time Israeli forces have faced accusations of misusing or attacking medical vehicles. In January 2025, undercover Israeli troops were caught using an ambulance to conduct a raid on Jenin’s refugee camp—a move condemned by rights organizations worldwide. In that case too, video evidence contradicted official denials, leading to no known disciplinary action.

What sets the Tel al-Sultan massacre apart is the clear and comprehensive documentation by a victim, and the subsequent effort to destroy the evidence.

The IDF initially asserted that the ambulances were not clearly marked and lacked emergency signals, justifying their actions based on perceived threats. However, the emergence of the mobile phone footage has contradicted these assertions. In light of this evidence, the IDF has acknowledged discrepancies in their initial report and has pledged a thorough investigation into the incident.

A Familiar Script: Denial, Deflection, Delay

Israel’s official response to the Tel al-Sultan massacre follows a now well-worn communication strategy: initial denial, immediate deflection of blame onto the victims, a reluctant admission of “mistaken identity”, and finally, a vague promise of an internal investigation—one that, historically, never materializes or yields accountability.

This cycle, deployed time and again after incidents involving civilian casualties or attacks on protected targets such as hospitals, schools, or ambulances, functions as a deliberate strategy to weather international outrage without consequence. By the time global attention shifts elsewhere, the promised investigations fade into bureaucratic obscurity, the perpetrators remain unnamed, and systemic impunity is preserved. This strategic pattern has allowed Israel to consistently evade legal and diplomatic repercussions, while further eroding the credibility of institutions that enable such evasion through inaction.

Global Outrage, Limited Action

The international reaction has ranged from condemnation to cautious calls for inquiry. The European Union and United Nations have demanded an independent investigation. However, U.S. officials, while expressing “deep concern,” have stopped short of endorsing punitive measures against Israel.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has formally requested the footage and launched a preliminary inquiry into whether the IDF’s actions in this incident amount to a breach of the Rome Statute.

Meanwhile, the families of the victims are left to mourn in silence. “Rifat wanted to heal people,” said his mother, Amal Radwan, holding the phone that now serves as both a testament and a tombstone. “He used to say, ‘I don’t have a weapon—just bandages.’ And they killed him for it.”

Humanitarian organizations and legal experts have called for independent investigations, emphasizing that the deliberate targeting of medical personnel is a severe violation of international humanitarian law.

Israel Lies – Almost Every Time

Israel’s communication strategy during conflicts has frequently involved initial denials of responsibility, shifting blame to opposing forces, and pledging investigations that often lack transparency or fail to materialize. This pattern has been observed in several incidents where subsequent evidence contradicted official statements. Below is a list of examples of verified instances where Israeli claims were later challenged or disproven:

1. Al-Ahli Arab Hospital Explosion (October 17, 2023):
   • Israeli Claim: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) asserted that a misfired rocket launched by Palestinian Islamic Jihad caused the explosion at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City.
   • Contradictory Evidence: Investigations by Human Rights Watch and Forensic Architecture questioned this narrative. Forensic Architecture’s analysis suggested that the projectile likely came from the northeast, not the southwest as claimed by Israeli authorities, indicating a potential Israeli origin.
2. Killing of 15 Palestinian Medics in Rafah (March 23, 2025):
   • Israeli Claim: The IDF stated that the ambulances approached their position without coordination, lacked proper identification, and were potentially carrying militants, justifying the use of force.
   • Contradictory Evidence: Footage recovered from a deceased paramedic’s phone showed clearly marked emergency vehicles with flashing lights, moving cautiously toward a casualty site. This evidence contradicted the IDF’s account and suggested that the medics were deliberately targeted.
3. Use of White Phosphorus in Lebanon (October 2023):
   • Israeli Claim: The IDF denied using white phosphorus munitions in military operations.
   • Contradictory Evidence: Human Rights Watch reported that Israel used white phosphorus in attacks on southern Lebanon, a claim later corroborated by visual evidence analyzed by The Washington Post.
4. Airstrike on Rafah Tent Camp (June 2024):
   • Israeli Claim: Israeli officials suggested that an airstrike targeting a tent camp in Rafah ignited a nearby fuel tank, causing a large fire and civilian casualties.
   • Contradictory Evidence: Investigations by NBC News and The New York Times found no evidence of a significant secondary explosion, challenging the official explanation and raising concerns about the targeting of civilian areas.
5. Killing of Journalist Hamza Dahdouh (January 2024):
   • Israeli Claim: The IDF labeled journalist Hamza Dahdouh a “suspect” and claimed he was traveling with a “terrorist” when targeted.
   • Contradictory Evidence: The Washington Post found no indications that Dahdouh and his companion were engaged in anything other than journalistic activities at the time of the strike.

These instances illustrate a recurring pattern where initial Israeli official statements are later contradicted by emerging evidence, leading to questions about the credibility and transparency of such communications during conflicts.

Media Silence and European Complicity

Despite the gravity of the evidence and the widespread international condemnation, major European state media outlets have remained conspicuously silent. In Austria, the state broadcaster ORF (Österreichischer Rundfunk) has, as per usual, failed to report on the Tel al-Sultan massacre or the broader implications of the footage. This mirrors a consistent pattern of editorial omission when it comes to Israeli war crimes, raising serious questions about institutional bias, political pressure, and the erosion of public trust in national media.

While independent and international outlets such as The Guardian, The Times, and Associated Press have investigated and covered the story in depth, ORF has once again chosen silence over scrutiny. Austrian citizens, relying on their public broadcaster for impartial reporting, are being denied crucial information on humanitarian abuses and international law violations—perpetuating a cycle of ignorance and impunity.

Austria: Europe’s Epicenter of Media Silence on Israeli War Crimes

In a startling development for European media ethics, Austria now ranks as the least-reporting country globally on Israeli war crimes—a distinction that effectively renders its public discourse the most overtly pro-genocide media landscape in the democratic world. The Austrian state broadcaster, ORF (Österreichischer Rundfunk), has again failed to report on the Tel al-Sultan massacre, just as it has systematically ignored prior allegations and evidence of Israeli violations of international humanitarian law.

ORF.at April 6th 2025: On the day the story is widely reported internationally, ORF covers North Korea stealing Volvo cars in 1973. The foreign section has no mention of the story.

This pattern is not incidental. Over the past six months, independent media monitors have documented an almost total blackout on Israeli atrocities in ORF’s coverage—despite widespread reporting from international outlets including The Guardian, Al Jazeera, The New York Times, and Le Monde. The result is a dangerously sanitized national narrative, one that shields war crimes from scrutiny and isolates Austrian audiences from the reality on the ground.

This silence, whether born of political pressure, institutional cowardice, or ideological alignment, has real-world consequences: it normalizes impunity, mutes public outrage, and emboldens those who violate human rights under the cloak of military necessity.