The Palestine Red Crescent Society says it has recovered 14 bodies of health workers in Rafah after its personnel came under heavy Israeli fire last week, Al Jazeera reported.

Palestinian activists have shared on social media scenes showing the arrival of the bodies of medics and civil defense members.

14 bodies in total were recovered, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, after they went missing for eight days in the Tal as-Sultan area in the west of Rafah City in southern Gaza.

The video – which has been verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking unit – shows painful moments of farewell from the families of the victims.

Red Cross federation expresses “outrage” at killing of PRCS medics

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) says the attack that killed at least eight members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) is the single deadliest attack on Red Cross/Red Crescent workers anywhere in the world since 2017.

“These dedicated ambulance workers were responding to wounded people. They were humanitarians. They wore emblems that should have protected them; their ambulances were clearly marked. They should have returned to their families; they did not,” IFRC Secretary-General Jagan Chapagain said in a statement.

“Even in the most complex conflict zones, there are rules. These rules of International Humanitarian Law could not be clearer – civilians must be protected; humanitarians must be protected. Health services must be protected,” Chapagain said.

“Our network is in mourning, but this is not enough. Instead of another call on all parties to protect and respect humanitarians and civilians, I pose a question: ‘When will this stop?’ All parties must stop the killing, and all humanitarians must be protected.”

Health workers found handcuffed and buried in a single grave

In a statement, the Gaza Health Ministry said, “Some of these bodies were bound and shot in the chest. They were buried in a deep hole to prevent their identification.”

The ministry called on “UN Organizations and relevant international bodies to conduct an urgent investigation into these crimes and hold the occupation accountable for committing them.”

In its statement on Telegram, Hamas condemned “in the strongest terms the heinous crime committed” against medics in southern Gaza.

 “They were found handcuffed and buried in a single grave,” the group said.

It added: “This crime … confirms that we are facing a criminal, sadistic enemy, devoid of all human values ??and in contempt of international law, international humanitarian law, and the Geneva Conventions, which guarantee the protection of medical relief and civil defence personnel during conflict.”