The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) told a United Nations press briefing that a mass grave discovered on March 23 in Gaza contained 15 first responders killed while on duty, including eight Palestinian Red Crescent medics, six civil defense personnel and one United Nations officer. PRCS said one of its medics remained missing and three colleagues were detained.

The IFRC and PRCS urged the U.N. Security Council and the broader international community to open an independent, thorough investigation and to take steps to protect humanitarian workers and civilians. Dylan Winder, permanent observer for the IFRC at the United Nations, said, "The IFRC is outraged at the deaths of eight medics from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society killed on duty in Gaza." He added, "Violence against humanitarian workers must stop. Even one life loss is far too many."

PRCS President Doctor Eunice Al Khatib said the bodies were found after a joint PRCS–U.N. OCHA mission uncovered a site in the Tal al-Sultan and Rafah area. "We urge the council to support the call for an independent and thorough investigation of this atrocious [attack] and hold those responsible to account," she said. Al Khatib said early forensic work and autopsies were underway and that PRCS had recovered video and audio evidence, including material from a phone recovered with one of the victims. Quoting that recording, she said the victim's last words were, "Forgive me, mom. I just wanted to help people. I wanted to save lives."

PRCS and IFRC officials said they had presented evidence to Security Council members and rejected public statements attributing the killings to other causes. Eunice Al Khatib and other PRCS representatives said the video and dispatch recordings show ambulances and emergency crews with lights on and sirens operating and include audio of gunfire and voices warning of a trap. PRCS officials said those materials contradict Israeli statements referenced at the Security Council, and they called on member states to use available international mechanisms rather than rely solely on internal military inquiries.

PRCS also described the humanitarian conditions facing its staff and families inside Gaza, saying many live in shelters with limited food and water and that colleagues have had no rest cycles or rotations. Al Khatib said the organization is providing support to families of the victims but said the scale of need in Gaza is enormous.

PRCS and the IFRC stopped short of designating a perpetrator in their statements at the briefing; they limited the presentation to the evidence they have collected and calls for independent investigation and for the reopening of aid routes. Officials asked the international community to push for a ceasefire, immediate resumption of aid deliveries and opening of border crossings so humanitarian assistance can reach civilians.

The organizations said they would continue to compile and share evidence with relevant U.N. bodies and urged action beyond statements of condolence. "It is time for action," Al Khatib said.