Germany demands 'comprehensive investigation' into Israel’s killings of medics in Gaza

Germany has urged a “comprehensive investigation” into the Israeli massacre of Palestinian medics in Gaza, Anadolu has reported. It finds these incidents “very disturbing,” Deputy Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer told journalists in Berlin today.

“We state again very clearly: civilians, as well as medical and humanitarian personnel, and aid workers assisting people on the ground in this terrible crisis, must not be targeted, and we also believe that a comprehensive investigation into these incidents is necessary,” she added.

Earlier in the day, the German Foreign Ministry criticised Israel’s killing of medics on X: “With a high number of fatalities, including eight medics of the Palestine Red Crescent Society killed in an Israeli military operation in #Gaza, we firmly reiterate our stance: Humanitarian workers and medics risk their own lives to provide support to others. They are #NOTATARGET.”

On Tuesday, the UN called Israel’s killing of Palestinian medics and first responders on a rescue mission in the southern Gaza Strip “unacceptable.”

“We’ve had 283 of our colleagues, UNRWA [UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees] colleagues, killed in Gaza since 7 October [2023],” spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference, adding that at least, “408 humanitarians, aid workers [have been] killed since the ceasefire broke down.”

All of that is unacceptable, said Dujarric. “Any targeting of humanitarian workers, of ambulance drivers who are doing their job is unacceptable.”

The Palestine Red Crescent Society announced on Sunday the recovery of 14 bodies after the Israeli attack. The victims included eight Red Crescent workers, five Civil Defence personnel, and a staff member from a UN agency.

It came days after the Palestinian Civil Defence said that it had recovered the body of a team member killed by Israeli forces, bringing the total number of deaths from the attack to 15.

“We will continue to press for investigations. We’ll continue to press for answers,” stressed Dujarric.

When asked what an investigation into the deaths of medics and humanitarian workers would look like, Dujarric said: “For the Israeli authorities to explain to us how these humanitarian workers happen to have been killed by Israeli fire, including one of our own colleagues.”

When asked if the UN would pursue a “neutral” investigation he replied, “We want something to be done transparently, and we want information to be shared.”

The Israeli army targeted the medics on 23 March as they were on their way to provide first aid to the victims of an Israeli shelling in Al-Hashashin.

The attack on the Palestine Red Crescent and the Civil Defence workers highlighted the dangers that humanitarians face in Gaza, as they risk their lives to save others and deliver aid.

This latest horrific Israeli crime triggered wide condemnation from international rights and UN groups, who demanded answers for the killings.

OPINION: Gaza will not be defeated as long as there are people who refuse to stay silent

“The German government continues to support Israel politically and economically,” adds Ibrahim Hewitt, MEMO’s Senior Editor, “so its demand for an investigation into the latest massacre of Israel’s genocide rings hollow.” As this statement from the Federal government says, “Germany stands by Israel…”

Moreover, Hewitt pointed out, German officials, including Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, simply discount Israel’s decades-long, brutal military occupation of Palestine before the events of 7 October 2023.

“What happened on that day,” he says, “was a symptom of that occupation, not the cause of the ongoing genocide. Israel has been ethnically cleansing, killing and oppressing Palestinians since before the occupation state came into being on stolen Palestinian land in 1948. Israel was built on Zionist lies, terrorism and oppression. The Gaza Genocide is one result of that oppression.”