Red Cross Calls for Urgent Action to End Escalating Suffering in Gaza Strip

SadaNews - The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric, has called on the international community for collective and urgent action to put an end to the escalating humanitarian suffering in the Gaza Strip.

Spoljaric stated in a press release issued today, Saturday, that "there are no justifications for what is happening in Gaza; the scale of humanitarian suffering and the violation of human dignity has surpassed all legally and morally acceptable limits."

She emphasized that the continued absence of a ceasefire means more loss of lives among civilians, pointing out that civilians are enduring severe suffering due to an indiscriminate war that deprives them of the most basic necessities of life.

She added that "the ongoing hostilities are taking lives mercilessly, while children are dying as a result of food shortages, forcing families to repeatedly flee in search of nonexistent safety," noting that 350 staff members from the Committee's teams in Gaza face the same harsh conditions to obtain food and clean water.

Spoljaric stressed the urgent and decisive need to end this tragedy, asserting that any political hesitation or justification for the ongoing violations will be recorded in history as a collective failure to uphold the minimum humanity in times of war.

She urged countries to fulfill their obligations under the Geneva Conventions and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law, including refraining from transferring weapons that may be used to commit serious violations, and to compel the conflicting parties to fully adhere to international humanitarian law.

She also called for the resumption of humanitarian aid access to various parts of the Gaza Strip urgently and without barriers or discrimination, for the release of all remaining hostages, and to allow the Committee to resume its visits to Palestinian detainees in Israeli detention facilities.

She confirmed that saving lives in Gaza is possible if there is political courage to respect the rules of war and ensure the protection guaranteed by international humanitarian law for civilians.