The Red Crescent Condemns the Enforced Disappearance of Two of Its Staff in Gaza by Armed Militias

SadaNews - The Palestinian Red Crescent Society condemned yesterday the enforced disappearance of two of its ambulance crew members by armed militias while they were on their way to perform their humanitarian duties on Salah al-Din Street in southern Gaza Strip. This occurred after two ambulances belonging to the society were forcibly stopped, with seven crew members detained and subjected to interrogation and field investigation. 

According to a statement from the society, the crew members were later released, except for two who remain forcibly disappeared after losing contact with them and not revealing their whereabouts or fate until this moment. This raises serious concerns for their safety and constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law and the required protection for workers in the medical and humanitarian fields.

The society affirmed that targeting medical and emergency workers or obstructing their movement while carrying out their humanitarian duty constitutes a serious violation of the provisions of international humanitarian law, especially the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their additional protocols, which guarantee special protection for medical crews and medical transport, and obligate the parties in conflict to respect and protect them at all times.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society holds the occupying authorities fully responsible for the safety of its detained crew members and demands their immediate and unconditional release, as well as ensuring that medical and emergency workers are not subjected to harm or obstruction in their work in the future.

The society called on the international community, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations, and all international human rights and humanitarian organizations to intervene urgently to ensure respect for the rules of international humanitarian law, provide protection for medical and emergency crews while performing their humanitarian missions, and take necessary measures to hold accountable those responsible for violations against workers in the humanitarian and health fields.