Dutch Foreign Minister calls Israeli ambulance attack in Gaza a possible war crime

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp on Sunday condemned an Israeli military strike on an ambulance convoy in the Gaza Strip, calling it a likely violation of international humanitarian law and demanding a full investigation into the deaths of 15 emergency workers.

The March 23 attack occurred near Rafah, where ambulances and a fire truck were hit by Israeli fire shortly after stopping along a road. According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), the vehicles were clearly marked, with headlights and flashing emergency lights turned on at the time of the strike, BBC reports. The PRCS published mobile phone footage showing the vehicles with visible emergency signals, directly contradicting Israeli claims that the convoy had been unidentifiable and traveling without lights.

Veldkamp, speaking on the Dutch television program Buitenhof, called the strike “extremely serious” and said it “appears to be a breach of the laws of war.” He stated that the Netherlands has officially condemned the attack and wants a “thorough and independent investigation.” He also addressed the wider humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave. “The suffering of Palestinians in Gaza is unbearable,” Veldkamp said.

Erik Akerboom, head of the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), also warned on Sunday that such footage could incite further radicalization. Speaking on the program WNL op Zondag, he said, “They add fuel to the fire for jihadists. They are being pushed further into action. These images have a strong mobilizing impact.”

Israel initially claimed the vehicles were traveling without emergency signals and that militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad were present in the convoy. In response to the new video evidence, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC that “all claims, including the documentation circulating about the incident, will be thoroughly and deeply examined.” No evidence has been publicly presented to support the claim that fighters were among the convoy.