Reported by BBC NEWS
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) claims its offices in Gaza have been destroyed by shelling, which massacred 22 people who had sought refuge around its compound, as quoted by BBC NEWS.
“Heavy-calibre projectiles landed within meters of the office and residences of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Friday afternoon,” an ICRC statement stated.
It emphasised that all parties must take SOPs to avoid damage to civilians and humanitarian installations.
On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed an initial investigation found there was “no direct attack carried out by the IDF against a Red Cross facility.”
It stated the incident would be “quickly examined” and the findings delivered.
Also, on Saturday, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, condemned the attack and called for an independent inquiry and the accountability of those responsible.
“The strike damaged the structure of the ICRC office, which is surrounded by hundreds of displaced civilians living in tents, including many of our Palestinian colleagues,” the ICRC said.
“This incident caused a mass casualty influx at the nearby Red Cross Field Hospital, with the hospital receiving 22 killed and 45 injured, with reports of additional casualties.”
The ICRC described the “grave security incident” as one of several in recent days.
“We decry these incidents that put the lives of humanitarians and civilians at risk,” the statement added.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza gave separate figures, saying 25 people had been killed and 50 injured in the shelling, which it blamed on Israel.
On Saturday, William Schomburg, head of the ICRC office in Rafah, described the scene of Friday’s attack.
“There were many wounded, the scenes were horrific, frankly nothing that I’ve ever seen before,” he stated to the BBC from Rafah.
“We had an influx of children, women, young men, all of whom had been extremely badly injured as a result of these explosions.
“We were able to transfer them to the nearby Red Cross field hospital where we have dedicated teams working on trying and saving lives and on meeting the needs of civilians during this conflict, who have consistently lacked access to healthcare.”
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On 7 October, the Israeli military launched an operation to eliminate the Palestinian armed group in response to an unparalleled massacre in southern Israel, during which about 1,200 people – mostly civilians – were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
More than 37,551 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to reports from the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. Its figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but it had reportedly identified 14,680 children, women, and older adults among the dead by the end of April.
In another development, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that escalating hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese Islamist movement Hezbollah risk triggering a disaster for the region and beyond.
Mr Guterres blamed both sides for increasingly belligerent rhetoric and called for an immediate ceasefire, saying the world could not afford for Lebanon to become “another Gaza.”
