Key Points
- A group of medics and rescue workers in Gaza were killed by Israel Defense Forces soldiers in March.
- Foreign Minister Penny Wong has called for a “thorough” investigation.
- Wong called for pledges to protect aid workers in combat zones at the United Nations last year.
The Australian government has called for an independent investigation into the killing of 15 paramedics and civilian defence workers in Gaza by Israeli forces last month, as it leads a global push to protect aid workers.
It comes after new footage obtained from the cellphone of a paramedic whose body was later found buried in a mass grave.
The video has cast doubt over the Israeli military’s initial account of the killings, that the vehicles were approaching without coordination or headlights.
Australia has made a number of representations to the Israeli government about the incident, including calling for an investigation.
A spokesperson for Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s office said those responsible must be held accountable.
“It is appropriate that there is a thorough and independent investigation,” the spokesperson said.
Wong, responding to the video on the ABC’s Insiders program, said the world was seeking a “proper and thorough inquiry”.
When pressed on the independence of such an inquiry, Wong said: “We’ll make an assessment of that when we see what [Israel’s] Military Advocate General comes forward with.”
The remains of the eight paramedics from the Palestinian Red Crescent, six Gaza civil defence service workers and one United Nations official were found buried in a shallow mass grave near Tel al-Sultan outside Rafah on Sunday 30 March, alongside the wreckage of their vehicles.
The Israel Defense Forces has announced an investigation into the incident, which is being managed by the military’s general staff command.
“All claims, including the documentation circulating about the incident, will be thoroughly and deeply examined to understand the sequence of events and the handling of the situation,” it said.
Israeli officials have said the soldiers had killed members of the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad groups.
Protecting humanitarian personnel
Australia is leading a global push to protect aid workers, including a “Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel”.
It came after the killing of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom, who was working with the World Central Kitchen charity to deliver food and other supplies to northern Gaza when her convoy was hit by an Israeli drone strike in April 2024.
Wong used a September summit at the United Nations to call for new pledges to protect aid workers in combat zones.
Australian woman Zomi Frankcom was an aid worker with the World Central Kitchen organisation. Source: Supplied / X
While at the UN General Assembly in New York, Wong met with ministerial counterparts in the hope that other countries would eventually sign up to the Australian-led declaration.
“I want this initiative to connect principles to action. Australians are very practical. We want to make a practical difference to the safety and security of workers,” she said.
Labor backlash
Labor is facing a backlash in some traditionally safe electorates, such as Watson in western Sydney, where Muslim voters are threatening to abandon the party over a perceived failure to call out alleged Israeli war crimes.
Mariam Tomahy, a member of Teachers and School Staff for Palestine, said Wong’s calls for an investigation were too little, too late, given the earlier silence from the government about the killing, which happened in March.
Teachers and School Staff for Palestine member Mariam Tohamy speaks to the media during a press conference prior to an anti-racism rally in Sydney on Sunday. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi
“It’s a very slow response and we expect a lot more from our government,” she said.
“We consider these kinds of statements as lip service, to be honest.”
The pro-Palestine group held a rally at Bankstown, in the seat of Watson, on Sunday afternoon to call out a rise in Islamophobia since the start of the war in Gaza.
The Coalition has remained silent on the killing of the Palestinian medics in Gaza.
Additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press
