The 14 emergency workers attacked by Israel as they rescued the wounded in southern Gaza have been found buried.

BarcelonaFourteen members of a rescue team for the wounded were found dead and buried in southern Gaza after being attacked by the Israeli army a week ago. This was reported by the Palestinian branch of the Red Cross, to which eight of the victims belonged. Six others were Civil Protection workers from the Gaza administration. The body of a member of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, who accompanied the mission was also found, while another member of the Red Cross remains missing. For seven days, emergency teams have been denied access to locate the rescuers. The Israeli army admitted that it fired on the ambulances because it identified them as "suspicious vehicles."

According to the organization, the group "was attacked by Israeli forces while carrying out humanitarian work to provide first aid to people wounded in a shelling" in the Hashashin area of Rafah. The organization denounces that attacking Red Cross medics is a war crime under international humanitarian law, which "the occupation continues to violate before the eyes of the world." The bodies were recovered with difficulty because they had been buried in the sand, and some showed signs of decomposition or had their hands tied. The president of the Palestinian branch of the Red Cross, Younis al-Khatib, condemned the attack: "These souls are not numbers: if this had happened anywhere else, the entire world would have moved heaven and earth to expose this war crime."

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies explained in a statement that this is the worst attack against its personnel since 2017. "I am heartbroken," said Secretary General Jagan Chapagain. "These committed ambulance personnel were trying to help injured people. They were humanitarian workers. They were carrying emblems that should have protected them; the ambulances were clearly marked. They should have returned to their families, but they couldn't."

"Military pressure is working"

Mediators' efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip continue unabated, and both Hamas and Israel claim to be willing to reach an agreement, although the facts make it clear that, for now, these are just words. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his government is "ready" to negotiate, although he stressed that he has no intention of halting the bombing. "Military pressure is working," he said at a cabinet meeting on Sunday. Hours earlier, he had announced that the security cabinet had decided to "increase pressure to further hit Hamas and create optimal conditions for the release of the hostages."

This pressure has been evident on the ground. This Sunday, coinciding with the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, at least 40 people were killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza, according to authorities in the Palestinian enclave. Since Israel unilaterally broke the ceasefire on March 18, nearly 1,000 deaths have already been counted. And since October 2023, more than 50,000.

This Saturday, Hamas had said it was willing to release "a small number of hostages" in exchange for Israel guaranteeing a ceasefire this Sunday and Monday, during the celebration of Eid al-Fitr. A spokesperson for the Islamist group said that talks between the mediators (Egypt, Qatar, and the United States) had intensified in recent days. However, today's bombings demonstrate that Tel Aviv has not accepted this proposal.