Families of Palestinian healthcare workers killed in Gaza shared their experiences. The brother of one slain healthcare worker recounted how his brother faced death threat from Israel twice before. A grieving father said, “We never expected this – not even in our worst nightmares. They went to save lives, and they became the victims themselves.” The continued merciless attacks by Israeli forces breaking the ceasefire in Gaza made it one of the most dangerous places in the world for civilians. The Israeli military targeted 15 healthcare and civil defense workers who were aiding the injured in an attack on March 23 in the Gaza Strip. Footage of Israeli soldiers directly targeting an ambulance and a firetruck caused an uproar in the international media. Israel tried to bury the traces of the massacre by placing the bodies of the 15 healthcare workers in a mass grave, but the emerging images revealed the extent of the brutality. Families of the slain healthcare workers spoke to the British newspaper The Guardian. Three Close Encounters with Death 45-year-old Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance driver Saleh Moamer, who lost his life, had allegedly come close to death twice before, according to his brother, Bilal. In the early days of the war, Saleh was tasked with transferring patients between hospitals when his vehicle came under Israeli fire. The driver was killed instantly, and Saleh was shot near his heart. Saleh spent three months in the hospital and then returned to work. Soon after, while on a rescue mission near Rafah, his ambulance was fired upon again, injuring him in the right shoulder. Bilal recalled that his brother told him he had “used up all his luck, and the third time would be fatal.” “He Seemed to Know He Wouldn’t Return” Before his night shift on March 22, Saleh bought a large amount of household items for his wife, six children, and two of his brother’s children. Bilal said, “He said it would benefit them in the future. It was as if he knew he wouldn’t be coming back.” Bilal described his brother as cheerful, friendly, but also extremely selfless, saying, “His drive to save innocent lives kept him going despite the dangers.” Emphasizing that his brother’s life was his work, Bilal said, “He had a deep passion for his job and spent most of his time in the ambulance and emergency room. After finishing his work in the ambulance, he would go to the Red Crescent’s vehicle maintenance department, fixing electrical problems. He even set up a team to visit the homes of the wounded and check on their conditions. If he had any medicine or medical supplies, he would call the patients in need.” Process Leading to the Attack Four ambulances and their crews sent to rescue the wounded in the Rafah attack were surrounded by the Israeli military, with some healthcare workers being injured in the attack. In response, Saleh and his team set out on the same day to rescue healthcare workers from the Palestinian Red Crescent organization. Soon after, all contact with the teams was lost. The healthcare workers went to the area to search for their missing colleagues, and this would be the last time they were seen alive. Identified by a Ring on His Finger The families of the missing first aid teams had to wait for a week before receiving news of the discovery of the bodies. Saleh’s family rushed to the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, hoping that the young man’s remains wouldn’t be among them, but their hope was soon shattered. The bodies had been buried in the ground for a week, causing them to deteriorate. His family confirmed Saleh’s identity by the ring on his finger. Bilal said, “There were marks on my brother’s wrists where he had been bound by the Israeli army, and his fingers were broken.” For Bilal, the Israeli claim that the ambulances carried terrorists was a great insult. He said, “These healthcare workers were providing humanitarian aid. They posed no threat and were not armed. What crime led to their being killed in this way?” “The Bodies Were Still in Their Uniforms” Among the other families rushing to the morgue of the Nasser Hospital, searching for their son, was Sobhi Bahloul, a 63-year-old father looking for his Red Crescent volunteer healthcare worker son Mohammad. S…