'We collected his body instead of celebrating Eid,' says mother of Gaza medic killed by Israel

Hajjah Umm Mohammed is a grieving mother who lost her son, Rifaat Radwan, a 23-year-old paramedic, during a tragic incident in Gaza. Rifaat was part of a team of emergency workers who were shot and killed by Israeli troops while responding to a call for help. On March 23, he was traveling in an ambulance as part of a convoy when they came under fire near Rafah. Umm Mohammed expressed her heartbreak, saying, 'My heart and soul died when Rifaat was killed. ' She never imagined that her son would be in danger, especially since the area was marked as safe for ambulances. In a video recorded shortly before his death, Rifaat can be heard saying, 'Forgive me, mother. this is the path I chose to help people. ' This statement reflects his dedication to his work and the sacrifices he made to assist those in need. Umm Mohammed believes he was asking for her forgiveness because he knew he would not return home. She always entrusted his safety to God whenever he went out to work, saying, 'He was brave, travelling across Gaza from north to south. ' Rifaat began volunteering with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) after a significant military campaign was launched in Gaza following a major attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023. His mother recalls how much he enjoyed humanitarian work, even helping transport the wounded to Egypt for medical treatment. On the day of his death, he had gone out to assist after reports of casualties from an Israeli airstrike. She had no idea that he would become one of the victims. A week later, his body and those of his colleagues were discovered buried in a shallow grave. Instead of celebrating Eid al-Fitr, a joyous holiday, with Rifaat, Umm Mohammed had to go with the Red Cross to retrieve his body from the hospital. She described the condition of his body as badly decomposed and said they would not allow her to see it. Umm Mohammed described her son as 'absolutely beautiful' and the main provider for her and his father after his siblings had married. The PRCS has alleged that the emergency workers were deliberately targeted, which they claim constitutes a war crime, and they are calling for an independent international investigation. PRCS spokeswoman Nebal Farsakh stated, 'We need justice for the victims. We need to ensure that all of those who are responsible are held to account. Without this, the crimes will continue to happen. ' She emphasized that humanitarian workers should be respected and protected, as they are not targets. Munther Abed, a fellow paramedic who survived the attack, recounted the terrifying experience. He said he dropped to the floor in the back of the ambulance when the shooting began and did not hear anything from his colleagues except their last gasps. After the attack, he was arrested by Israeli special forces, who pinned him to the ground, preventing him from seeing what happened to his team. Munther expressed his deep sorrow, saying, 'When I found out they were all martyred, it crushed me. They were my second family. my brothers, my friends, my loved ones. ' He wished he could have died instead of witnessing the horror. Munther also revealed that he was interrogated for 15 hours, during which he faced physical and verbal abuse. The BBC has reached out to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) regarding his claims but has not yet received a response. The PRCS stated that the area where the emergency workers were operating was not classified as a dangerous zone, meaning they should not have needed prior coordination to access the site. Preliminary forensic reports indicated that the paramedics were killed by multiple gunshot wounds to the upper parts of their bodies, which the PRCS described as further evidence of deliberate killing. They dismissed the IDF's internal inquiry and rejected the claim that Hamas operatives were among those killed. The IDF announced that its Chief of Staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, had received the initial findings of the inquiry and instructed for a more in-depth investigation to be conducted. They promised to examine all claims related to the incident thoroughly. Since the attack on October 7, 2023, approximately 1,200 people have been killed, and over 50,750 people have died in Gaza due to ongoing violence. The situation remains dire, with many hostages still held in Gaza.