ICRC President calls for immediate international action to end humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza
WORLD, July 26 (YPA) – The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric, called on the international community to act urgently and collectively to end the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
In a press release issued on Saturday, Spoljaric said, “There is no justification for what is happening in Gaza. The scale of human suffering and the level of violation of human dignity has exceeded all legal and moral limits.”
She affirmed that the continued absence of a ceasefire would only lead to further civilian casualties, noting that civilians are enduring severe hardship amid an indiscriminate war that deprives them of even the most basic necessities of life.
“Ongoing hostilities are taking lives mercilessly, children are dying from hunger, and families are forced into repeated displacement in search of safety that does not exist,” she said, pointing out that 350 ICRC staff members in Gaza are themselves facing the same harsh conditions in securing food and clean water.
Spoljaric stressed the need to end this tragedy immediately and decisively, emphasizing that any political hesitation or justification for ongoing violations will be remembered in history as a collective failure to uphold the bare minimum of humanity in times of war.
She called on states to fulfill their obligations under the Geneva Conventions, ensure respect for international humanitarian law, including refraining from transferring weapons that could be used to commit grave violations, and work to compel all parties to the conflict to fully comply with international humanitarian law.
She also called for the urgent, unimpeded, and indiscriminate resumption of humanitarian access throughout the Gaza Strip, the release of all remaining hostages, and the resumption of the ICRC’s visits to Palestinian detainees in Israeli detention centers.
She emphasized that saving lives in Gaza is possible —if the political courage exists to uphold the laws of war and ensure the protection that international humanitarian law affords to civilians.
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