The whereabouts of nine paramedics from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), who were detained by Israeli forces, remain unknown, the organization announced on its official X page.
"For the fourth consecutive day, the fate of nine PRCS emergency medical staff remains uncertain. While carrying out their humanitarian duty in Rafah, they became targets of the occupying [Israeli] forces," the statement said.
Previously, PRCS accused the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of attacking ambulances and unlawfully detaining medical personnel. According to the organization, communication was lost with four emergency teams after their ambulances were stopped by Israeli soldiers in a bombed-out neighborhood in Rafah. PRCS later reported that Israeli authorities had rejected all attempts to send rescue teams to the same area where the detained medics had been working.
On March 18, Israel resumed military operations in Gaza, launching heavy airstrikes and effectively ending the ceasefire that had been in place since January. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated that the operation aimed to secure the release of all hostages, blaming Hamas for rejecting mediation efforts led by the US envoy Steve Witkoff. Hamas, in turn, held Israel and the US responsible for the renewed violence.
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Based on TASS materials