Germany has called for an investigation after eight paramedics were reportedly killed in the Gaza Strip.
“We believe that a comprehensive investigation into the events is necessary,” a spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said in Berlin on Wednesday.
The spokeswoman said the incident in the southern Gaza city of Rafah was “shocking” and insisted that medical personnel and humanitarian workers should never be the target of attacks.
Eight employees of the Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service were killed, reportedly by Israeli fire, more than one week ago. A UN employee was also killed.
The Israeli military said its soldiers fired at several vehicles after they approached Israeli positions in a suspicious manner.
It accused militants of misusing ambulances for terrorist purposes.
Group of German nationals leaves Gaza
Earlier on Wednesday, the Foreign Office said that it had facilitated the departure of a group of German citizens and their relatives from the Gaza Strip.
Nineteen German nationals and 14 of their close family members crossed into Israel via the Kerem Shalom border crossing in coordination with Israeli authorities.
From there, they were flown directly to Germany on a chartered flight.
Exiting Gaza, which has been under blockade for nearly two decades, has become even more challenging since the war began a year and a half ago.
For the 2 million residents of the coastal territory, departures are only possible through an arduous process, with Palestinians holding foreign citizenship having slightly better chances.
Large parts of the territory lie in ruins from the conflict, which erupted on October 7, 2023, following the terrorist attack on Israel led by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
After a six-week ceasefire expired earlier this year, Israel resumed aerial and ground operations against Hamas in Gaza.
Living conditions for civilians are dire, with homes destroyed, the health care system in crisis, and shortages of food and essential supplies.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said a low two-figure number of German citizens remain in Gaza.
Work is under way to facilitate their departure, but the process cannot be achieved “from one day to the next,” she said.