In a significant acknowledgment of shortcomings, the Israeli military reported on Sunday that an internal review of the shooting death of 15 emergency workers in Gaza last month uncovered numerous professional failures and violations of operational orders. The military, however, stated that there was no intent to hide the incident, despite the dismissal of a field commander who submitted an inaccurate report regarding the events.

The tragedy unfolded on March 23 near Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, when paramedics and rescue personnel were shot and subsequently buried in a shallow grave. Their bodies were discovered a week later by representatives from the United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent.

As a consequence of the findings, a commanding officer is set to receive disciplinary action, while a deputy commander has been relieved of his duties. The military's statement did not clarify whether any personnel would face criminal prosecution regarding the deaths.

"The examination identified several professional failures, breaches of orders, and a failure to fully report the incident," the military indicated in its public release. It explained that the gunfire in the initial two incidents stemmed from an operational misunderstanding, as troops believed they faced an imminent threat from enemy forces. The third incident was flagged for involving a breach of established orders during a combat scenario.

Crucial evidence has emerged, including a video retrieved from the mobile phone of one of the slain emergency responders. This footage, which was made public by the Palestinian Red Crescent, depicts uniformed emergency personnel and clearly marked ambulances and fire trucks with their lights flashing, all under gunfire from Israeli soldiers.

Injuries sustained by civilian responders marked a significant aspect of the tragedy. According to officials from the Red Crescent and the U.N., 17 emergency workers were dispatched to the area to assist with injuries from Israeli airstrikes when the shooting occurred.

The military stated that the deputy commander involved initially failed to recognize the emergency vehicles due to "poor night visibility," leading to the order for troops to open fire on individuals exiting the fire truck and ambulances. The deputy commander claimed to perceive a threat, recalling that just an hour earlier, soldiers had opened fire on another vehicle they identified as belonging to Hamas. However, the military did not specify the criteria used to label that vehicle as "Hamas-affiliated."

Paramedic Munther Abed, one of the responders who was detained but later released, maintains that soldiers targeted clearly identifiable emergency response vehicles. Meanwhile, the Red Cross has reported that another Palestinian emergency responder remains in the custody of Israeli authorities, although the military has refrained from commenting on this claim.

In a controversial assertion, the military alleged, without providing further evidence, that six of the 15 emergency responders killed had since been identified as "Hamas terrorists." This accusation has been firmly rejected by Hamas officials, adding to the tension surrounding the incident.