Deadly attack on medics: Israel's claims refuted
After 15 medics in a convoy of ambulances were shot dead by Israeli soldiers on 23 March, Israel claimed the vehicles had been moving in a suspicious way and did not have their emergency signals on. After video footage emerged that clearly shows the ambulances had their emergency and headlights on when the shots were fired, Israel admitted its account had been mistaken. Despite lingering uncertainties, commentators are deeply unsettled by the evidence.
This army has a fundamental problem
What has emerged about this incident in the meantime is an utter disgrace for the IDF, writes the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung's Middle East correspondent Christian Meier:
“Alone the seven-minute video that one of the victims made before his murder is a document of pure horror. There was no way of denying the incident from the outset. Which is why the army came up with all sorts of attempts at justification. No sooner had one version turned out to be a lie - like the claim that the vehicles were unmarked and not using emergency lights - than along came the next. ... There have simply been too many 'one-off cases' that are rarely investigated seriously to not have to speak of a fundamental problem here. ”
Democracies have no right to remain silent
NRC wants to see more official outrage:
“Especially now that every moral boundary has been crossed, Western democracies must speak up. Since the beginning of the war more than 50,000 have been killed, most of them civilians. Innocent victims like children, journalists, humanitarian workers have been systematically targeted. ... The war has no other objective than to keep Netanyahu in power. ... Any country that invokes human rights and international law has no right to remain silent.”
Time for a full withdrawal
The Irish Examiner also calls for the global community to pay attention and step up:
“Where are our world leaders during these unthinkable inhuman acts of destruction? ... Whatever the global turbulence around trade and tariffs caused by Trump, Gaza must stay in focus. There must be justice and full accountability. Displaced people must be allowed to return to their homes. ... The international community must take action and demand the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement, and the West Bank too. As the humanitarian situation approaches breaking point, there must be urgent action to resume the ceasefire and end the massacre of Palestinians.”