The Israeli army admitted Sunday to “professional faults,” disobedience and operational misunderstandings in a deadly March strike that killed 15 Palestinian rescuers in Rafah, but the Red Crescent rejected the findings as “null and void,” saying the report justified the killings.

While Israeli officials said soldiers did not fire “blindly” during the March 23 incident, they acknowledged the attack was based on mistaken battlefield assessments. One officer is set to be dismissed following the internal investigation, led by Reserve Gen. Yoav Har-Even.

“We say it was an error, but we do not believe it is an error that happens every day,” Har-Even said during a press briefing.

The Red Crescent, however, strongly disputed the army’s account.

“This report is riddled with errors and cannot be taken seriously,” said Nebal Farsakh, spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent in the West Bank city of Ramallah. “It justifies the murders and blames a personal error in field command to avoid real accountability.”

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International outcry

The strike targeted Civil Defense and Red Crescent personnel in southern Gaza, prompting an international outcry. U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk said the killings may amount to a war crime. The bodies of the victims — including eight Red Crescent workers, six Civil Defense responders and a staff member of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) — were later found buried in a sand-covered mass grave, according to the U.N. humanitarian coordination office (OCHA).

Israel has claimed that six of the 15 victims were later identified as Hamas operatives. The army said it “regrets the harm caused to uninvolved civilians,” while also stating that all the victims were wearing rescue uniforms and no weapons were recovered.

The army said one paramedic remains in custody. The Red Crescent identified him as Asaad al-Nsasrah, who they say was “abducted” following the incident.

“If the incident happened by mistake as the report claims, why does Israel still hold the rescuer?” Farsakh asked Sunday.

Conflicting accounts

According to the army, troops opened fire after observing a “suspicious” convoy moving without headlights. The investigation found that the incident unfolded in three phases: first on a vehicle believed to be linked to Hamas, then on a fire truck and ambulances, and finally on a U.N. vehicle.

The first two rounds of fire were attributed to “operational misunderstanding,” while the third was described as a “violation of orders in the heat of combat,” the army said.

A video recovered from one of the victims' phones and released by the Red Crescent appeared to contradict Israel’s claims, showing ambulances with headlights and sirens on.

“We do not lie; we make mistakes, unfortunately,” said army spokesman Effie Defrin.

The March 23 strike occurred just days after Israeli forces resumed their offensive in Gaza following a lull in hostilities. The ongoing war erupted after Hamas launched a deadly cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, prompting a massive Israeli response that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.