Unbearable human tragedy unfolding in Gaza: ICRC

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned an unbearable human tragedy is unfolding across Gaza. 

In a statement released on Monday, the ICRC said Israeli strikes targeting heavily populated urban areas including around hospitals endanger the lives of the most vulnerable people.

The ICRC is gravely concerned by the precarious and unsafe conditions under which civilians are evacuating as a result of the Israeli bombardment, the statement said.

“Men, women, and children, waving white flags, walk for dozens of kilometers past dead bodies lying on the streets and without necessities like food and water. At the same time, the ICRC teams in Gaza and hotline operators receive numerous calls from displaced people searching for their family members. It is paramount that members of the same family are not separated during evacuations.”

While civilians continue to move from the north to the south of Gaza, virtually 100,000 displaced people lack basic necessities such as shelter, food, water, and hygiene. The situation is rapidly approaching a humanitarian disaster, the ICRC warned.

The southern area is not adequately equipped to cater to the massive number of people arriving with nothing but the clothes they are wearing, and the quantity of humanitarian aid coming in is largely insufficient, the ICRC underscored.

Meanwhile, William Schomburg, the head of the ICRC sub-delegation in Gaza, urgently called for the protection of those civilians trapped in Gaza.

“An unbearable human tragedy is unfolding in front of our eyes. People call us day and night, saying they are afraid to open their door for fear of getting killed and pleading to help them reach safety,” said Schomburg. “As a humanitarian worker, I feel frustrated not to be able to respond to these calls, as our teams lack basic security conditions to move in North Gaza.”

Over the past few days, the ICRC has coordinated, and in some cases accompanied, convoys to evacuate hospital patients and displaced persons from northern Gaza.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has described the situation in Gaza’s Shifa Hospital as dire and perilous for hundreds of patients and displaced people trapped inside. The hospital’s last generator has also run out of fuel, leading to the death of five premature babies and seven critical patients.

MG