(AGENPARL) – Wed 19 March 2025 Logo ICRC EN.jpg      International Committee of the Red Cross
** Israel and the Occupied Territories: Red Cross Field Hospital responding to increased number of casualties in Gaza
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ICRC – News Release
19 March 2025
Gaza (ICRC) – Over the last 36 hours in Gaza, staff at the Red Cross Field Hospital have been working relentlessly to provide lifesaving treatment to a high number of patients, many of whom have severe injuries. People have been killed and injured in the renewed hostilities across Gaza, amid a destroyed healthcare system, and a deteriorating humanitarian situation.  
Within hours of the violence restarting, staff at the Field Hospital in Rafah received a high number of patients in a short period of time. For the last eight weeks, medical staff at the Field Hospital had been able to focus on providing care amid relative calm. Yesterday, that calm was shattered.
“For two months, we have been able to deliver babies without the sound of explosions. We have focused on post-operative rehabilitation and had the space to fully dedicate ourselves to long-term recovery of patients. In one night, this changed,” said Fred Oola, Senior Medical Officer at the Red Cross Field Hospital.
“Now, we can feel the panic in the air, the sound of ambulance sirens is a constant, and we can see the pain and devastation in the faces of those we are helping. People are scared and are again forced to think only of surviving the next hours.”
Across Gaza, emergency triage protocols were reactivated, surgeries began, and hospital beds filled up quickly. Due to the recent suspension of humanitarian aid into Gaza, stocks of medical supplies have dropped significantly and on top of this, hospital staff are struggling to manage the sharp increase of casualties.
People in Gaza urgently need respite from hostilities and must have access to lifesaving humanitarian aid. All the remaining hostages must be released. This all depends on the continuation of the ceasefire agreement. We urge the parties to uphold their commitments so that these crucial efforts can continue.
About the ICRC
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a neutral, impartial and independent organization with an exclusively humanitarian mandate that stems from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. It helps people around the world affected by armed conflict and other violence, doing everything it can to protect their lives and dignity and to relieve their suffering, often alongside its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners.
** For more information, please contact:
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Public Relations Unit | International Committee of the Red Cross | 19, avenue de la Paix | 1202 Geneva | Switzerland
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ICRC, Avenue de la Paix, 19, Geneva, . 1201 Switzerland