Red Cross ‘heartbroken’ by suspected Israeli assault killing eight help staff in Gaza | EUROtoday

The Red Cross has condemned the killing of eight Palestinian medics in southern Gaza, calling it a “heartbreaking” violation of worldwide humanitarian regulation, after their our bodies had been recovered following a week-long delay.

The medics had been a part of a nine-person ambulance crew from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and had been killed on responsibility within the al-Hashashin space of Rafah on 23 March. Their our bodies had been retrieved on Sunday after days of restricted entry to the world. One crew member stays lacking.

The Red Cross didn’t apportion blame for the assault, whereas Hamas has accused Israel of killing the PRCS help staff. Israel has indirectly responded to the allegation however confirmed in an announcement that its forces fired upon “suspicious vehicles” that later turned out to be ambulances and fireplace vans.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) mentioned all eight had been sporting seen emblems and travelling in clearly marked ambulances.

“I am heartbroken. These dedicated ambulance workers were responding to wounded people. They were humanitarians,” IFRC secretary-general Jagan Chapagain mentioned.

“They wore emblems that should have protected them; their ambulances were clearly marked.

“Even in essentially the most advanced battle zones, there are guidelines. These guidelines of worldwide humanitarian regulation couldn’t be clearer – civilians should be protected; humanitarians should be protected. Health providers should be protected.”

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Among the dead were ambulance officers Mostafa Khufaga, Saleh Muamer and Ezzedine Shaath, as well as first responder volunteers Mohammad Bahloul, Mohammed al-Heila, Ashraf Abu Labda, Raed al-Sharif and Rifatt Radwan. The PRCS said the bodies were found alongside six members of Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defence agency and a United Nations staff member.

In a statement to AFP on Saturday, the Israeli military said its troops had “opened fireplace towards Hamas automobiles and eradicated a number of Hamas terrorists” in southern Gaza.

“A couple of minutes afterward, further automobiles superior suspiciously towards the troops… The troops responded by firing towards the suspicious automobiles, eliminating a lot of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists.”

The military added that “after an preliminary inquiry, it was decided that a number of the suspicious automobiles… had been ambulances and fireplace vans”.

Israel has previously accused Palestinian armed groups of using medical vehicles for “terrorist purposes”.

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Senior Hamas official Basem Naim referred to as the killings a warfare crime and a breach of the Geneva Conventions.

“The targeted killing of rescue workers – who are protected under international humanitarian law – constitutes a flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions and a war crime,” he mentioned.

The assault got here after Israel resumed its army offensive in Gaza on 18 March, following the breakdown of a ceasefire settlement. Since then, greater than 900 folks have been killed in Israeli strikes, in response to Gaza’s Hamas-run well being ministry.

The warfare, now nearing its seventeenth month, started after Hamas launched a shock assault on southern Israel on 7 October, killing round 1,200 folks and taking 251 hostages.

The Gaza well being ministry says greater than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed for the reason that warfare started.

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Meanwhile, US airstrikes continued across the Houthi-held Yemeni capital of Sanaa early on Monday, killing at the least one individual and injuring 4 others, in response to Houthi officers. The new wave of assaults adopted a warning by the insurgent group that it could resume concentrating on Red Sea vessels over Israel’s blockade on Gaza.

The strikes look like a part of a broader shift within the US marketing campaign, with American forces now concentrating on personnel and command websites along with missile launch positions. Houthi media reported that 59 folks have been killed for the reason that present spherical of strikes started on 15 March.

The US says its actions are aimed toward defending business delivery within the Red Sea, the place renewed Houthi assaults have already sunk two vessels and killed 4 sailors.