Israeli tanks open fire on ambulances transporting injured Gazans near Rafah crossing

Israeli tanks opened fire on ambulances carrying Palestinian patients set to be evacuated from the Gaza Strip for medical attention abroad, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said on Tuesday.

In a brief statement, the organization said the ambulances came under Israeli fire near the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza as patients were being transported in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO).

It said the ambulances are still waiting for permission to proceed.

Nearly 48,400 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 111,000 others injured in a brutal Israeli war on Gaza since October 2023. The onslaught, which left the enclave in ruins, was paused under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold on Jan. 19.

Despite the ceasefire, the Gaza local authorities reported almost daily ceasefire violations by the Israeli army.

The first group of Palestinian patients and wounded left Gaza through the Rafah crossing on Egypt's border on Feb. 1 under the ceasefire agreement.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.