Fifteen aid workers were recovered from a grave in the sand in the south of the Gaza Strip on March 31, 2025. The Israeli military backtracked on its first account of the incident after footage which was found on the phone of one of the casualties contradicted its claims that the aid vehicles were driving without emergency signals before Israeli troops opened fire on them.

In light of the IDF's tendency to overlook accountability in investigations of war crimes, we call on you to join our appeal to the Israeli Minister of Defense to establish an independent, external commission of inquiry into the IDF’s actions in this incident and to ensure that its findings are made public, and take steps to prevent such incidents from happening again.

The killing of the Red Crescent aid team in Gaza is not a “tragic accident.” It is a war crime. Some of us in Israel struggle to believe that IDF soldiers bound aid workers and shot them at point-blank range (as some reports claimed), then buried their bodies in the sand. The horror is hard to grasp — and it's easier to look away and assume it didn't happen.

As a global community, we must refuse to stay silent in the face of war crimes and demand an independent, external investigation — one whose findings will be made public and lead to real accountability. We invite people around the world to stand with us and call for justice.

The IDF Chief of Staff has ordered an internal investigation. But that’s not enough. Only an independent investigation can prevent such atrocities from happening again. If we truly value life and seek to heal from the horrors of war, we must reject these actions and ensure they never become the norm. We call on people everywhere to stand with us in demanding justice.

The government and the army have no interest in uncovering the full truth — and they will not act unless massive public pressure forces them to. Join us in signing this petition so that tens of thousands of us can stand together and say: we will not turn a blind eye to war crimes>>

Sources:

McKernan, Bethan. “Israeli Military Changes Account of Gaza Paramedics’ Killing after Video of Attack.” The Guardian, April 6, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/06/israeli-military-admits-initial-account-of-palestinian-medics-killing-was-mistaken

Reuters. “Bodies of Eight Red Crescent Medics Recovered in Gaza, One Still Missing.” Reuters, March 31, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/bodies-eight-red-crescent-medics-recovered-gaza-one-still-missing-2025-03-31/