Fate of 9 Palestine Red Crescent members remains unknown

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 Israeli military said troops had opened fire on ambulances after identifying them as "suspicious vehicles," in an incident on Sunday in southern Gaza that Hamas authorities condemned as a "war crime," reporting at least one person killed.

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 March 18 following an almost two-month-long truce.

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.