Red Crescent: Israel obstructs search operations for missing members in Gaza

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said on Saturday that the fate of nine crew members in the Gaza Strip remains unknown nearly a week after Israeli forces had hit ambulances.

The gunfire in Rafah city's Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood came just days into a renewed Israeli offensive in the southern area, close to the Egyptian border, after the military resumed its bombardments of Gaza on 18 March.

The Red Crescent in a statement accused Israeli authorities of refusing to allow search operations to locate the missing workers. "For the seventh consecutive day, the fate of nine Palestine Red Crescent EMTs remains unknown after they were besieged and targeted by Israeli forces in Rafah," it said.

"We condemn Israel's deliberate obstruction of search efforts and hold it fully responsible for the lives of our team members," the statement added.

The emergency response service said that "initial reports from the crew at the time of the incident confirmed they came under heavy gunfire from Israeli forces, resulting in multiple injuries."