Israel confirms it struck Palestinian ambulance because it was aiding Hamas fighters

Palestinian health officials reported that an Israeli air strike on an ambulance convoy killed at least 15 people Saturday. 

Israel later acknowledged striking the convoy, confirming that the ambulances were being used to transport Hamas terrorists. 

“An IDF aircraft struck an ambulance that was identified by forces as being used by a Hamas terrorist cell in close proximity to their position in the battle zone,” the IDF said in a statement.

“A number of Hamas terrorist operatives were killed in the strike. We have information which demonstrates that Hamas' method of operation is to transfer terror operatives and weapons in ambulances.” 

"We emphasize that this area in Gaza is a war zone. Civilians are repeatedly called upon to evacuate southward for their own safety.” 

IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus added: "This is not the first and not the hundredth time that Hamas operatives, including senior leaders, make illegal use of ambulances on the battlefield.”

“This is not the first and not the hundredth time that Hamas operatives, including senior leaders, make illegal use of ambulances on the battlefield.”—an IDF Spokesperson @jconricus pic.twitter.com/Av7W99iZ0V

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 4, 2023

Hamas official Izzat El Reshiq denied the allegations calling them “baseless.” 

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, condemned the strike, saying he was “utterly shocked.” 

Israel's Magen David Adom emergency services, which is part of the International Red Cross organization, responded to the controversy by asking why world leaders did not express outrage when its EMS teams were killed by Hamas on October 7.

Our paramedics’ bodies were found with their medical gloves still on, murdered by Hamas in the midst of treating the wounded.

Our ambulance drivers were executed in cold blood while sitting in the drivers’ seats.

— Magen David Adom (@Mdais) November 4, 2023

However, the United States government acknowledged that Hamas has been using ambulance to transport terrorists. 

In a press briefing on Saturday, the U.S. government said that Hamas tried to smuggle a large number of its own fighters into Egypt among a group of wounded Palestinian civilians being transported to Egypt for treatment. 

During Operation Protective Edge in 2014, the IDF released video showing two Hamas fighters entering an ambulance to escape fighting with IDF soldiers. 

Amid the current debate, it's vital to recall that Hamas has long used ambulances to transport fighters and ammunition.

See this video from July 22, 2014. IDF forces engaged terrorists in the Gaza Strip, killing ten gunmen. Other terrorists used an ambulance in order to escape… pic.twitter.com/FpbBo5mjzW

— (((Emanuel Miller))) 🌻 (@emanumiller) November 3, 2023

In that conflict, Hamas fighters often boarded ambulances carrying civilians to prevent the IDF from targeting them. 

While international humanitarian law prohibits targeting medical establishments and first aid vehicles, those protections can be lost if the medical facility or equipment is used in an “act harmful to the enemy,” including “sheltering able-bodied combatants.”