Gaza City: Israel’s military admitted on Saturday that it fired on ambulances and fire trucks in Gaza after identifying them as "suspicious vehicles." The attack, which occurred last Sunday in Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood, resulted in at least one death, according to Palestinian sources.

The offensive in Rafah began on March 20, following the resumption of Israeli airstrikes after a nearly two-month truce. The Israeli military stated that its troops had targeted Hamas vehicles, killing several militants. Shortly after, additional vehicles approached, prompting further fire. The military later determined that some of the targeted vehicles were ambulances and fire trucks but blamed Hamas for allegedly using emergency vehicles for military purposes.

Israeli troops had "opened fire toward Hamas vehicles and eliminated several Hamas terrorists", the military said in a statement to AFP.

"A few minutes afterward, additional vehicles advanced suspiciously toward the troops... The troops responded by firing toward the suspicious vehicles, eliminating a number of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists."

The military did not say if there was fire coming from the vehicles.

It added that "after an initial inquiry, it was determined that some of the suspicious vehicles... were ambulances and fire trucks", and condemned "the repeated use" by "terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip of ambulances for terrorist purposes".

Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that a team of six first responders went missing after being dispatched to the area. The following day, the body of their team leader and destroyed rescue vehicles were found, including an ambulance from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, which was described as "reduced to a pile of scrap metal." The agency accused Israeli forces of deliberately targeting humanitarian workers.

Hamas spokesperson Basem Naim condemned the attack, calling it a "deliberate and brutal massacre" and a direct violation of the Geneva Conventions, which protect medical personnel in conflict zones. He asserted that targeting rescue workers was a "war crime" and urged international intervention.

The United Nations has also raised alarm over increasing civilian casualties in Gaza. Tom Fletcher, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, stated that since March 18, Israeli airstrikes in densely populated areas had killed "hundreds of children and other civilians," including patients in hospitals. He condemned attacks on first responders and called for immediate international action to uphold humanitarian law.

Israel has long accused Hamas of using civilian infrastructure, including ambulances, for military purposes—a claim Hamas and aid groups strongly deny. The incident has further intensified scrutiny on Israel’s military operations in Gaza, with humanitarian organisations calling for accountability and urgent measures to protect medical personnel and civilians.