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IFRC 'outraged' at killing of eight medics in Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies + News websites
31 Mar 2025 11:01
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The IFRC decries the killing of eight Palestine Red Crescent medics in Gaza, calling for the protection of humanitarian workers and an end to the violence.

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Jagan Chapagain, Secretary-General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), speaks during an interview for The Associated Press, in Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 (AP)

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) expressed outrage over the killing of eight medics from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) while on duty in Gaza.

According to an IFRC statement, an emergency medical team of nine personnel and their ambulances went missing after coming under heavy fire in the al-Hashashin area on March 23. For seven days, no communication was established, and access to the Rafah area where they were last seen was denied, it added.

On March 30, the bodies of ambulance officers Mostafa Khufaga, Saleh Muamer, and Ezzedine Shaath, along with first responder volunteers Mohammad Bahloul, Mohammed al-Heila, Ashraf Abu Labda, Raed al Sharif, and Rifatt Radwan, were recovered, the statement confirmed. Ambulance officer Assad al-Nassasra remains missing.

IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain condemned the attack without directly naming the Israeli occupation forces, stating, “I am heartbroken. These dedicated ambulance workers were responding to wounded people. They were humanitarians. They wore emblems that should have protected them; their ambulances were clearly marked. They should have returned to their families; they did not.”

"Even in the most complex conflict zones, there are rules. These rules of International Humanitarian Law could not be clearer – civilians must be protected; humanitarians must be protected. Health services must be protected," he stressed.

'Israel' killed 30 IFRC personnel since start of the war

Chapagain continued, “Our network is in mourning, but this is not enough. Instead of another call on all parties to protect and respect humanitarians and civilians, I pose a question: ‘When will this stop? All parties must stop the killing, and all humanitarians must be protected.’”

According to the IFRC, this tragedy marks the deadliest single attack on Red Cross and Red Crescent personnel worldwide since 2017.

Chapagain further highlighted that “the number of Palestine Red Crescent volunteers and staff killed since the start of this conflict is now 30."

"We stand with Palestine Red Crescent and the loved ones of those killed on this darkest of days,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expressed its shock over the killings, stating it was “appalled” that medics "were killed while carrying out their work" alongside other humanitarian responders.

"The high number of medical personnel killed during this conflict is devastating. The ICRC strongly condemns attacks on health care workers," it added.

Targeting of medics can only be considered a war crime: PRCS

The PRCS announced on Sunday that it had recovered the bodies of 15 rescuers who were killed a week earlier when Israeli forces targeted ambulances in the Gaza Strip.

According to the Red Crescent, the bodies retrieved included eight of its medics, six members of Gaza’s civil defense agency, and one employee of a UN agency. One Red Crescent medic remains missing.

The organization stated that those killed "were targeted by the Israeli occupation forces while performing their humanitarian duties as they were heading to the Hashashin area of Rafah to provide first aid to a number of people injured by Israeli shelling in the area."

"The occupation's targeting of Red Crescent medics ... can only be considered a war crime punishable under international humanitarian law, which the occupation continues to violate before the eyes of the entire world."

In an earlier statement, the Red Crescent noted that the bodies "were recovered with difficulty as they were buried in the sand, with some showing signs of decomposition."

Gaza’s civil defense agency also confirmed that 15 bodies had been retrieved, specifying that the deceased UN employee worked for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

The attack took place on March 23 in the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, near the Egyptian border, just days after "Israel" resumed its war on Gaza following a nearly two-month-long truce.