Red Cross calls for protection of humanitarian activities, personnel in Gaza

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called for the protection of humanitarian activities and personnel amid the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the ICRC emphasized that humanitarian aid workers and the vehicles and buildings used in humanitarian aid activities in the Gaza Strip need to be protected during the conflict.

It said that humanitarian aid workers are there to provide life-saving assistance and should be able to carry out their work safely.

The Israeli army continues to target institutions and centers working in the humanitarian field, including hospitals, medical complexes, and centers in the northern and southern regions of the Gaza Strip.

Recently, areas around Al-Amal Hospital affiliated with the Palestinian Red Crescent in the city of Khan Younis witnessed intense attacks by Israel, resulting in the death and injury of several people.

At least 21,110 Palestinians have been killed and 55,243 others injured in relentless Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, according to local health authorities.

Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave's infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million people displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicines.