ISTANBUL

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said on Thursday that its teams successfully entered Tel al-Sultan in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, and retrieved the body of a paramedic who was among nine medics trapped in the area following an Israeli siege five days ago.

In a statement, the organization said after five days of coordination attempts, its teams—accompanied by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)—managed to reach Tel al-Sultan, where Israeli forces had besieged and targeted medical crews.

Rescue workers recovered one paramedic's body but were forced to withdraw due to darkness, with plans to resume search efforts on Friday morning.

On Sunday, Israeli forces launched an air and ground assault on Tel al-Sultan, killing and wounding civilians while besieging thousands, including emergency responders.

The Red Cross earlier reported losing contact with its medical teams after Israeli forces besieged them while they were attempting to rescue victims of air and artillery strikes in Rafah.

Gaza’s media office earlier said Israeli forces abducted 15 paramedics and civil defense workers in Rafah and urged international pressure on Tel Aviv for their immediate release.

The Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaign on the Gaza Strip on March 18, killing 855 people, injuring nearly 1,900 others, and shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 113,900 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.