The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) says an internal Israeli military investigation into the killing of 15 paramedics and emergency workers in southern Gaza last month cannot be trusted, demanding an independent inquiry instead.
The PRCS has released an extended version of the video recorded by one of the slain medics in the moments before Israeli forces opened fire on the convoy near Tel al-Sultan on March 23.
Speaking from the organisation's headquarters in Ramallah, the PRCS president Younis Al-Khatib said the vision was impossible for the international community to ignore, adding that it should pressure the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to launch a totally independent probe into the attack.
The bodies of the eight paramedics, six emergency responders and one UN worker were recovered from a shallow mass grave a week later, buried alongside the wreckages of their vehicles.
"To be frank and straightforward — yes, we don't trust [the IDF investigation]," he said in response to a question from the ABC.
"Not just because we don't trust an inquiry by the army, but because there is an experience with the army … and also the contradictory statements by the army."
Dr Al-Khatib was asked what word he would use to describe what had happened to his medics, after allegations the men were executed by the IDF were aired in international media.
"For the time being, I would use the word 'killed' or 'shot them'," Dr Al-Khatib told reporters at the PRCS headquarters in Ramallah.
"When there is an inquiry, I think there will be a different word used.
"Even in this video, there is proof that they were caught alive.
"When they were under Israeli control of the soldiers, that's proof that they were alive, they are not anymore … something happened between controlling the paramedics and their death."
More video of the moments leading up to the killing of the medics
Over the weekend, shocking vision of the moment IDF forces opened fire on the convoy was released by the PRCS.
It directly contradicted Israel's initial account of the incident, where it had claimed the PRCS ambulances and fire trucks from Gaza's civil defence force had approached troops in a "suspicious" manner with no emergency lights.
The vision showed the vehicles were clearly marked with their lights switched on, and the staff were wearing official uniforms.
The PRCS has now released an extended version of that video, recorded by medic Rifat Radwan, in an effort to explain the sequence of events leading to the attack.
"I'm suffocating, we're calling their phones and no-one is answering," Mr Radwan can be heard saying.
"This was a direct targeting, I swear."
At one stage, one of Mr Radwan's colleagues told him not to film their journey on his phone.
"These moments need to be documented," he replied, in an inadvertent and foreboding prediction of what was to come.
Two PRCS ambulances were dispatched to the scene of an Israeli strike in the early hours of Sunday March 23, but only one arrived.
After being unable to make contact with one of the crews, another two ambulances were sent out to try to find the missing team — and travelled to the site with vehicles from the civil defence service.
PRCS said shooting continued for hours
The ambulance Mr Radwan was in initially drove past the missing vehicle, which had come off the road and was difficult to see in the pre-dawn light.
After meeting up with another crew further down the road, which had been waiting for the convoy out of fear of safety for travelling alone, the vehicles doubled back to the site.
Once they arrived at the scene, the crews rushed to the vehicle — which is when the shooting began.
For the remaining seven minutes of the recording, the gunfire is relentless.
Another ambulance was close behind, and was also hit.
Israeli forces can be heard on the recording yelling in Hebrew, while Mr Radwan prays for his life and apologises to his mother.
"Mum, forgive me, mum, forgive me," he can be heard saying.
"This is the path I chose, to help people."
PRCS staff have told the ABC that their own communications with the team via an open radio channel suggested shooting continued for almost two hours.
The United Nations vehicle, carrying the UN staffer who was also killed, was not in the initial convoy and was seemingly hit after moving through the area in the following hours.
One medic is still missing
The bodies of the 15 men were recovered a week later, buried under sand alongside the wreckages of their vehicles.
The ambulances and fire trucks had been crushed.
The United Nations and PRCS have criticised Israel for refusing access to the site, claiming it was an active combat zone.
Israel said it was coordinating with the organisations to arrange the recovery mission.
One medic was taken into custody by the IDF, and has since been released — alleging he was severely beaten while held by Israeli forces.
Another medic is still missing.
The ABC asked the IDF a series of questions after the extended video was released, including whether the missing medic was in its custody and how it responded to concerns about the independence of its investigation.
No response was provided.
Over the weekend, the IDF responded to the release of the initial video by saying it would look at the evidence.
"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 in a statement.
"Anyone with information or documentation related to the event is invited to submit it to the IDF to complete the examination."
An IDF official conceded the video appeared to contradict the initial accounts of the attack from troops on the ground and the military’s southern command.
