(AGENPARL) – Thu 29 May 2025 Logo ICRC EN.jpg      International Committee of the Red Cross
** Israel and the Occupied Territories: ICRC urges respect and protection of civilians, unhindered flow of humanitarian assistance as intolerable suffering mounts in Gaza
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ICRC – News Release
29 May 2025
Gaza (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) urgently calls for the respect and protection of civilians, including the wounded and sick, in Gaza. Yesterday morning, stray bullets crossed into the Red Cross field hospital – a patient was hit by a bullet and had to be transferred to another facility. This type of incident puts both patients and staff at risk.
On Tuesday night, staff at the Red Cross Field Hospital received a mass casualty influx of 48 patients, including women and children. All were suffering from gunshot wounds.
“Constant care must be taken to spare civilians in the conduct of military operations. This is not only an obligation under international humanitarian law—it is a moral imperative,” said Julien Lerisson, ICRC Head of Delegation for Israel and the Occupied Territories.
“The scale of destruction in Gaza we see right now will not bring us closer to peace or stability. It will only deepen the suffering.”
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is beyond catastrophic. Six hundred days of hostilities, coupled with severe restrictions on the entry and distribution of humanitarian relief, continue to inflict immense and widespread suffering on civilians. Every day, people struggle to survive, to feed their families, and to find some form of safety and security.
Under international humanitarian law, both medical personnel and patients must be respected and protected. To this end, all possible steps must be taken to guarantee their safety. This is needed to ensure that medical facilities remain sanctuaries to preserve human life and that the wounded and sick receive the medical care they require.
The ICRC also urgently reiterates that all hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally in accordance with international humanitarian law. It has been 600 days since hostages were taken from Israel. Their endless nightmare and suffering in captivity must stop. They must be reunited with their anxiously awaiting family members or brought home for a dignified burial.
The ICRC also reiterates that it must be given access to Palestinian detainees held by Israel.
Following a visit to Gaza this week, Lerisson described the humanitarian situation as intolerable.
 “Civilians should not be the ones paying the heaviest price in conflict. Humanitarian needs are overwhelming. One truck, three trucks, even a hundred trucks of aid per day are simply not enough to meet the scale of needs among two million people. We cannot address a crisis of this magnitude with piecemeal solutions,” he said.
The ICRC remains committed to responding to humanitarian needs in Gaza in accordance with the fundamental principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence. To do so effectively, the rapid and unhindered flow of humanitarian assistance must be allowed and facilitated.  Medical supplies, food, safe water, and other essential relief items must reach all those in need—wherever they are.
The ICRC has the capacity to deliver meaningful assistance and help alleviate suffering. The existing humanitarian aid mechanism in place for months now has proven efficient when it is allowed to function. It is crucial that it is allowed to resume to its fullest extent.
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