ICRC chief calls for action to halt 'intolerable' suffering in Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
29 Oct 2023 01:39
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The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross says the human suffering of civilians in the Gaza Strip "is a catastrophic failing that the world must not tolerate."

A Palestinian fills a cup with drinking water during the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric, on Saturday called on all sides to act to halt the "intolerable" human suffering of civilians in the Gaza Strip.

"This is a catastrophic failing that the world must not tolerate," Spoljaric expressed, adding: "I am shocked by the intolerable level of human suffering and urge the parties to the conflict to de-escalate now."

She stressed that "the tragic loss of so many civilian lives is deplorable," underlining that "it is unacceptable that civilians have no safe place to go in Gaza amid the massive bombardments, and with a military siege in place there is also no adequate humanitarian response currently possible."

Spoljaric was speaking hours after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sharply criticized the "unprecedented escalation" of Israeli bombardments on Gaza, and called for an "immediate" ceasefire.

Earlier, the President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) emphasized that "civilians in Gaza are experiencing the most intense shelling ever."

The Israeli occupation continues its brutal aggression on Gaza for the 22nd day in a row after it completely cut internet access and the phone network across the Strip on Friday, with the Health Ministry in Gaza announcing that the number of Palestinians killed has risen to 7,703 and that the number of injuries has reached 19,743.

The Ministry emphasized that the Israeli occupation has committed 53 massacres in the past 24 hours, in which 377 Gazans were killed, most of them among the displaced in the southern Gaza Strip, which "Israel" claimed to be "safe" from shelling.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned that the telecommunications blackout in Gaza risks providing cover for mass atrocities. "This information blackout risks providing cover for mass atrocities and contributing to impunity for human rights violations," Deborah Brown, the group's senior technology and human rights researcher, said in the statement.

The telecommunications blackout in the Strip is also accompanied by a complete cut of electricity, water, and food imposed by the Israeli occupation. After strenuous diplomatic efforts, trucks of assistance began arriving in Gaza from Egypt, but humanitarian groups warn they are far from sufficient. Half of the strip's 2.3 million residents are homeless, many have been injured, and food and clean water are scarce.

According to Egypt's Foreign Ministry, "Israeli obstacles", such as truck inspection processes, were slowing the timely delivery of supplies to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border between Egypt and besieged Gaza.

A ministry spokesperson stated that "the trucks must be inspected at the Israeli Nitzana crossing before they head to the Rafah crossing on a journey that takes a distance of 100 km (62 miles) before they actually enter the Rafah crossing, which causes obstacles that significantly delay the arrival of aid."

Since "Israel" imposed a blockade on Gaza, the Rafah gate, which is administered by Egypt but does not border "Israel", has become the major point of humanitarian distribution. Before the start of the Israeli aggression, roughly 500 trucks per day crossed into Gaza, but in recent days, just 12 trucks per day have entered, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

On October 24, UN agencies pleaded "on their knees" for unhindered access to Gaza, pointing out that current supplies were insufficient to maintain the Palestinian people following two weeks of Israeli air attacks.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned on Saturday there was the potential for thousands more civilians to die if "Israel" launches a major ground invasion into Gaza.

This comes despite the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) unanimously calling for a quick humanitarian truce between "Israel" and the Palestinian Resistance, as well as aid access to the besieged Gaza Strip and civilian safety.