Red Cross ‘deeply troubled’ as aid convoy attacked in Gaza City | Israel-Palestine conflict News
source : www.aljazeera.com
A convoy transporting life-saving medical supplies to health facilities in Gaza City comes under fire, with a driver injured.
A humanitarian aid convoy in Gaza City has come under fire, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Two trucks were damaged and a driver was slightly injured when the ICRC convoy, which was carrying “life-saving medical supplies to health facilities, including the Palestinian Red Crescent Al Quds Hospital,” was hit by fire, the medical NGO said on Tuesday.
The ICRC said it was “deeply concerned” by the incident and reminded the warring “parties of their obligation under international humanitarian law to respect and protect humanitarian workers at all times.”
The statement did not identify the source of the fire in the convoy, which consisted of five trucks and two ICRC vehicles.
We are deeply concerned that our humanitarian convoy in Gaza City came under fire today. It transported life-saving medical supplies to health facilities, including Al Quds @PalestineRCS Hopital.
According to IHL, humanitarian workers must be protected.
👇https://t.co/sUcbJlkXYL— ICRC in Israel and OT (@ICRC_ilot) November 7, 2023
After the incident, the convoy changed its route to reach al-Shifa hospital, where it delivered medical supplies, the ICRC said.
The convoy then accompanied six ambulances carrying seriously injured patients to the Rafah border crossing from Gaza to Egypt.
“These are not the conditions under which humanitarian personnel can work,” said William Schomburg, head of the ICRC sub-delegation in Gaza.
“Ensuring that essential aid can reach medical facilities is a legal obligation under international humanitarian law.”
ICRC, a neutral organization based in Geneva, has accompanied patients and transported liberated prisoners from Gaza.
More than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli bombardment since October 7, according to counts by Gaza health officials, about 40 percent of them children.
Nearly two-thirds of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been internally displaced, according to United Nations figures, while thousands are taking refuge in hospitals, including in makeshift canvas shelters in their parking lots.
Hospitals across the enclave have come under fire, with many struggling to continue functioning due to shortages of fuel and medical supplies.
The UN says health, sanitation, water and food services in Gaza are nearing “breaking point.”
source : www.aljazeera.com
