A mass grave was uncovered in southern Gaza containing the bodies of more than a dozen aid workers, including eight members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), five civil defense workers, and one UN agency employee. The victims were killed during attacks by Israeli forces on March 23.
The PRCS said its emergency medical technicians went missing after Israeli forces fired on ambulances and fire trucks that were being used as cover for militants. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) described the incident as “the single most deadly” for IFRC workers in almost a decade, calling it a “massacre”.
The Israeli military claimed to have targeted militant activity but its actions have been widely condemned by aid organizations and the UN. OCHA stated that health workers should never be a target and expressed outrage over the targeting of medical personnel.
Humanitarian groups are accusing Israel of violating international law by blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, using starvation as a weapon of war, and restricting entry to aid throughout the conflict. The IFRC called for protection of health services, stating that civilians and humanitarians must be protected.
Since October 7, 2023, approximately 400 aid workers have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, with 27 PRCS staff members losing their lives in line duty by Israeli forces. The death toll has surpassed 50,000 since the start of the war, according to Gaza health officials.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/31/middleeast/aid-workers-found-gaza-mass-grave-intl-hnk/index.html