Palestine urges international community to stand in solidarity over 'killing of medical workers'

New Delhi: The Palestinian Embassy on Wednesday called on the international community to stand in solidarity over the reported killing of a group of 15 medical workers and take a firm and unequivocal stand in "condemning Israel".

"The nightmare that Palestinians have endured for decades under Israel's brutal occupation continues, sparing no one -- children, women, the elderly -- nor the medical sector, international aid workers, or even the environment," the embassy said in a statement.

On March 23, 15 medics and emergency responders, including members of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Civil Defense, and a United Nations employee, "lost contact while on a noble mission to rescue injured civilians in southern Rafah", it said.

The statement from the embassy alleged that they were killed by Israeli forces.

Many reports in the international media also claimed that they were killed by these forces.

The embassy, in its statement, said, "Following a complex, week-long search operation, their bodies were discovered buried in a mass grave, along with their vehicles, which had been plowed over by Israeli military bulldozers".

The PRCS confirmed that the "slain medics" and their vehicles were clearly marked as "medical and humanitarian personnel", it said.

Medical rescue teams, including the Red Crescent, paramedics, and Civil Defence, are fully protected under international law, the Geneva Conventions, and international humanitarian law, the statement said, and alleged violation of these protections with "complete impunity".

"We call on the international community to take a firm and unequivocal stand in condemning Israel," it said.

"We also urge the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise its voice in condemnation and hold Israel accountable for its flagrant violations of international law and its obligations as an occupying power," the statement said.

"Furthermore, we call upon all Indian medical organisations that share the same humanitarian values as their Palestinian counterparts to stand in solidarity. We urge them to raise their voices and show unwavering support for Palestinian medical workers who courageously carry out their noble yet deadly mission, upholding the highest principles of their profession," it said.