Autopsies reveal some Gaza aid workers shot in the head by IDF soldiers, NYT reports

The funeral procession for the aid workers killed by Israeli fire at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in March 2025

Haaretz reports on 16 April 2025:

A majority of the 14 Palestinian aid workers killed by Israeli soldiers on March 23 in southern Gaza died from gunshots to the head or chest, according to autopsy findings reviewed by The New York Times.

The Red Crescent paramedics and Civil Defense personnel had been responding to calls when their vehicles – ambulances and a fire truck – came under Israeli fire. A United Nations staffer passing by was also killed in the incident.

According to the New York Times, the autopsies, conducted by Dr. Ahmad Dhair of the Gaza Health Ministry’s forensic unit, were later analyzed by Dr. Arne Stray-Pedersen, a Norwegian forensic pathologist.  The Times reviewed the autopsy results for all casualties besides the U.N. employee. The autopsies indicated that most victims were in uniform at the time of the attack and had clearly identifiable reflective markings.

The New York Times reported that at least six of the men were shot in the chest or back, and four were shot in the head. Per the newspaper’s review, most were shot several times.

Several of the bodies were missing limbs or other body parts, as the reports reviewed by the Times showed, with one man’s body being severed from the pelvis down.  The bodies were all in varying stages of decomposition, which complicated efforts to determine whether the victims had been shot at close range or from a distance, forensic expert Dr. Arne Stray-Pedersen told The New York Times.

Dr. Ahmad Dhair, the Gazan forensic pathologist who conducted the initial examinations in late March, had previously told The Times and other outlets that one of the men appeared to have wrist bruises, suggesting he may have been restrained.  However, he noted at the time that more analysis would be required to confirm that. The autopsy reports ultimately make no mention of any of the victims having been tied.

Witnesses and visual evidence reported on by the Times suggest the vehicles had stopped and were well-lit when Israeli troops opened fire.  Israel later acknowledged striking the convoy and claimed, without presenting evidence, that some of the dead were Hamas operatives. The army has since revised its claim from nine to six alleged militants and says an investigation is ongoing.

The incident sparked international condemnation, with legal experts citing potential violations of international law.

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