Ramallah: The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has issued an urgent appeal to the international community for the protection of medical personnel and humanitarian workers in Palestine. This call coincides with World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, observed annually on May 8, highlighting the perilous conditions faced by humanitarian workers in the region.
According to Union of OIC News Agencies, the PRCS reported the loss of eight paramedics since the start of the year, targeted by Israeli occupation forces in Rafah during March while performing rescue operations. This attack was among the deadliest, resulting in the deaths of 15 humanitarian workers, including members of the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The association further detailed that the total number of martyrs from medical and humanitarian personnel in the Gaza Strip has exceeded 1400, with 48 individuals affiliated with PRCS becoming martyrs since the escalation of aggression in the region. Of these, 30 were killed while actively engaged in humanitarian duties, identifiable by their Red Crescent badges, in Gaza and the West Bank.
In its appeal, the PRCS also demanded the release of three of its members who have been forcibly disappeared for over a year by the occupation forces, alongside dozens of medical personnel arrested during their humanitarian work in Gaza. The organization highlighted the deliberate targeting of humanitarian workers as a tactic to destabilize health and emergency services, contributing to the near-total collapse of the health system in Gaza.
The statement emphasized that such systematic targeting amounts to collective punishment, contradicting fundamental humanitarian principles. The PRCS urged for immediate, concrete actions to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers, indicating that verbal condemnations are inadequate in addressing the ongoing crisis.
