MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on Thursday asked state troops and combatants to respect its neutrality and its work of delivering urgent humanitarian aid to the most needy in war-affected and other high-risk areas , say 24 of them. its aid workers had been killed mainly in the Gaza Strip so far this year.
IFRC President Kate Forbes, who is visiting the Philippines, said in a statement on was hit to the west Rafah, the southernmost city of Gaza.
“I’m devastated,” Forbes said. “This is not okay. This has to stop.”
Palestinians reported heavy fighting in the border town On Wednesday, the Israeli army said it had taken control of Gaza’s entire border with Egypt.
The fighting in Rafah has already forced more than 1 million Palestinians to flee, most of whom had already been displaced during the war between Israel and Hamas. They are taking refuge in makeshift tent camps and other war-ravaged areas, where they lack shelter, food, water and other essentials for survival, according to the United Nations.
Forbes told The Associated Press in an interview in Manila on Wednesday that governments must act responsibly and adhere to the rules of armed conflict, including the Geneva Conventionsreferring to the international treaties drawn up after the Second World War that contain rules to prevent war atrocities.
“My appeal to governments would be: if your signatures are in the Geneva Conventions, stick to them,” Forbes said. “If these are enforced, we can do our work even in areas of high conflict or disaster.”
‘We are neutral. We are here to provide assistance,” she said. ‘We want to make life (better) for those affected by diseases, natural disasters or geopolitical conflicts. We must provide them with basic humanitarian assistance and restore their human dignity. That’s our job.
Since being elected president of the IFRC in December, Forbes, a former American businesswoman who has served as a Red Cross volunteer for more than 40 years, has been on the front lines of disaster relief. She visited Rafah in February. “I have nightmares about what I saw,” she said.
Forbes joined growing calls for a ceasefire and access to humanitarian aid to Gaza, saying these are “absolutely necessary” to alleviate the horrific suffering of civilians trapped in the seven-month conflict .
“We must have a government solution to achieve a ceasefire so that we can gain access and then we will provide assistance to both sides,” she said.
“I said this is both a sprint and a marathon. We need immediate help in Gaza for people who are malnourished, there are no adequate sanitary facilities,” she said. “But it will be a marathon, because it will take decades of aid to restore Gaza and the people there.”
