Israeli soldiers investigated for attacks on Palestinian paramedics

Israeli soldiers are being investigated by military police following complaints of two attacks against Palestinian paramedics.

According to the report in Haaretz: “In both cases the Palestinians claim that soldiers fired on ambulances that were evacuating wounded people.”

In a letter to Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, who submitted the complaints, an Israeli official confirmed that an investigation was initiated into incidents that took place on 2 October and 5 November 2015.

In the first incident, Red Crescent paramedics claim that Israeli occupation forces “attacked them and removed a wounded person from the ambulance while he was receiving medical treatment.”

Having responded to reports of injuries among Palestinian demonstrators in El Bireh, the ambulance crew arrived and put a wounded man in the ambulance. As they drove off, “soldiers fired two bullets into the side of the vehicle” then “removed the patient”

According to the Palestinians, a different policeman kicked one of the volunteers and then shut the ambulance door on the driver’s foot. Subsequently the soldiers fired in the air and threw stun grenades at the ambulance. Two members of the ambulance team later required treatment.

In the second incident, “soldiers allegedly fired at a Red Crescent ambulance and attacked a paramedic, again in El-Bireh.”

Physicians for Human Rights first submitted the complaints last December, but only received a response now. In a response, the IDF Spokesman’s Office said the delay was caused by “technical problems” and that the investigations are continuing.