Gaza medic Mundhir Abed recounts deadly Israeli strike that killed 15 rescuers

Sole survivor of March 23 attack describes horror as convoy of medics was gunned down near Rafah.

Funerals take place at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, on March 31, 2025, for eight Palestinian Red Crescent health workers killed in an Israeli attack in Rafah eight days earlier. Their bodies were recovered from the rubble. Photo by Hani Alshaer/Anadolu

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

Gaza medic Mundhir Abed recounts deadly Israeli strike that claimed the lives of 15 of his fellow medics near Rafah on March 23, offering a harrowing account of one of the deadliest single assaults on emergency responders in the ongoing war. In a trembling voice, still shaken weeks after the incident, Abed described the moment Israeli gunfire turned a rescue mission into a massacre.

The 45-year-old medic from the Palestine Red Crescent Society had responded to distress calls from civilians caught in the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza. Driving the lead ambulance into what was expected to be another chaotic but routine emergency call, Abed was accompanied by driver Mustafa al-Khawaja and paramedic Ezzedine Shaat. Both men would not return from the mission.

"As soon as we reached the area, sudden and heavy gunfire from Israeli soldiers directly hit the vehicle," Abed recalled. "I dropped to the floor in the back of the ambulance to shield myself. Then I heard no more sounds from my colleagues — only the rattle of death."

What followed was a nightmarish scene that would leave Abed physically injured, mentally scarred, and emotionally devastated.

A targeted attack on humanitarian workers

The convoy of ambulances — clearly marked, sirens wailing and emergency lights flashing — had entered the area near Rafah after multiple residents placed desperate calls for help. The medics were not armed. They were responding to the wounded, not engaged in combat. Yet, as their vehicles arrived, Abed said, they were met with gunfire rather than gratitude.

"I was terrified they would kill me," he said. "I couldn't reach my phone. The bullets were everywhere, slicing through metal, glass, and lives."

According to Abed, the gunfire did not stop after the first barrage. When it did momentarily pause, the worst was yet to come. Israeli special forces approached the ambulance, opened its doors, and pulled Abed from the vehicle.

Humiliated and brutalized

"They forced me to the ground, face down, stripped me completely, interrogated me, and beat me with their weapons on my back, chest, and feet," he said.

Abed said he recognized one of his fellow medics, Asaad al-Mansoura, moments before losing consciousness. "He was badly wounded but alive," Abed recalled. "I remember his eyes—filled with fear and disbelief. That was the last I saw of him."

Israeli forces eventually withdrew, leaving behind the smoldering wrecks of ambulances and the bloodied bodies of medics who had come only to offer help. Abed was left injured but alive, the sole survivor of what Palestinian authorities are calling a war crime.

The aftermath and global reaction

The March 23 incident triggered immediate international outrage. Humanitarian organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Health Organization, condemned the attack. Calls mounted for an independent investigation into what they described as a clear violation of international humanitarian law.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society released a statement confirming the loss of 15 of its personnel, including paramedics and drivers, in what it called a "deliberate and targeted assault." Video and satellite imagery reviewed by independent analysts corroborated much of Abed’s account, showing the ambulances destroyed in a narrow area far from any reported combat zone.

United Nations officials have demanded accountability and protection for emergency responders. Martin Griffiths, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said: "Medical workers are not a target. This is not a grey area. These are crimes that require investigation and justice."

Israel’s response

The Israeli military has not publicly released a detailed statement regarding the March 23 strike. However, it has previously stated that Hamas uses ambulances and medical facilities for militant activities, a claim repeatedly denied by both Palestinian medics and international observers.

Rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, say that even if such allegations were true, targeting clearly marked ambulances without due process or visible evidence constitutes an unlawful act under the laws of war.

A medic’s trauma and mission

For Abed, survival has brought its own pain. “I hear their voices at night,” he said. “My colleagues calling for help. I wake up sweating, crying. But I must keep going. That’s what they would have wanted.”

Despite his physical wounds, which include bruised ribs and fractured fingers, Abed has returned to limited duties with the Red Crescent. His work now involves training new volunteers and speaking to international media to ensure that the story of March 23 is not buried or forgotten.

"I owe it to the martyrs," he said, using the Arabic term for those who died. "They were brave, compassionate, and selfless. They must not be remembered as statistics. They were my brothers and sisters."

The humanitarian crisis continues

As the war in Gaza rages on, medics like Abed remain on the frontlines, risking their lives daily to save others. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 200 health workers have been killed in Gaza since the conflict escalated last year. Hospitals are operating with dwindling supplies, many having been hit by airstrikes.

Amid the chaos, the bravery of individuals like Mundhir Abed stands as a grim testament to the price of compassion in times of war. He has become not just a witness, but a symbol — of survival, of resistance, and of the enduring humanity found even in the most brutal corners of conflict.

A plea for justice

Abed and his colleagues now hope for more than just condolences. They are calling for action — international protection for medics, investigations into attacks on healthcare workers, and ultimately, justice.

"The world must see what happened," Abed said. "This cannot be normal. Ambulances should not be turned into coffins. We need the world to speak up — loudly, clearly, and urgently."

As the rubble is cleared and funerals are held for the 15 lost medics, one survivor remains to tell their story. In a war where death has become routine, Mundhir Abed’s voice breaks through — a living cry against silence.