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News Gaza: 1.5 million people trapped in despair 29-6-2009 News release 25-6-2009 News release Section ICRC operations in the Middle East and North Africa Activities throughout the world: a country-by-country round-up of the ICRC’s work in the Middle East and North Africa. ICRC / T.A. Voeten
Gaza Strip, Beit Hanoun.
In 2008 the ICRC remains committed to helping people who suffer from both today's violence in the region and the consequences of past conflicts. It does so through its operational activities and its efforts to promote respect for international humanitarian law (IHL).
The ICRC's long-standing presence around the region has allowed it to continue working in ongoing crises, such as Iraq, and to intervene rapidly in new outbreaks of violence affecting the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Yemen. Its activities include visiting detainees and providing emergency medical and other relief. It helps dispersed families keep in contact – for example with their relatives held in detention facilities in Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere. The ICRC urges authorities to bring national law into line with IHL treaties and include it in military and other education programmes. Throughout the region it works with the national societies and supports their work. The ICRC has worked continuously in the Middle East and North Africa since 1948. Its initial 2008 field budget for the region is 215 million Swiss francs – half of which is for work in Iraq, the ICRC's largest operation. The country and region names used herein are intended to facilitate reference and have no political significance.  Key document29-6-2009 Gaza: 1.5 million people trapped in despairSix months after Israel launched its three-week military operation in Gaza on 27 December 2008, Gazans still cannot rebuild their lives. Most people struggle to make ends meet. Seriously ill patients face difficulty obtaining the treatment they need. Many children suffer from deep psychological problems. Civilians whose homes and belongings were destroyed during the conflict are unable to recover. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Palestine) Report Includes Photo 18-6-2009 Gaza: ICRC urges Hamas to allow captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit regular contact with his familyThe ICRC reiterated its demand that Gilad Shalit be allowed regular contact with his family. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Palestine) News release 5-3-2009 Iraq: women in warThe ICRC's Iraq delegation has produced a newsletter containing testimonies from Iraqi women facing the effects of conflict and explaining how the ICRC is helping them to cope. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Iraq) Field newsletter Includes PDF 29-10-2008 The bare necessities: how the ICRC is making a difference in IraqJuan-Pedro Schaerer, the ICRC's head of delegation for Iraq, talks about the growing need for essential services in the country. He explains the challenges that the ICRC faces, especially the difficulty of reaching those most in need, and how the organization has been providing uninterrupted emergency assistance by constantly adapting its way of working to the changing security constraints. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Iraq) Interview Includes Photo Annual ReportAnnual Report Includes PDF 27-5-2009 ICRC Annual Report 2008: Middle East & North Africa: Introduction(Info resources\Annual Report\2008) Annual Report Includes PDF Feature27-11-2008 Lebanon: in the heart of actionThe Lebanese Red Cross Society plays a crucial role in responding to emergencies in Lebanon. Its capacity to play this role is enhanced by its partnership with the ICRC. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Lebanon) Feature Includes Photo 28-10-2008 Iraq: defying danger to offer civilians help and hope With the outbreak of war in Iraq in 2003, life became an uphill struggle for many people. Four Iraqi ICRC staff tell us about their work in this very challenging environment, their motivation, daily life and ordeals. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Iraq) Feature Includes Photo 16-10-2008 Twenty years after the end of the Iran-Iraq war, tens of thousands of combatants still unaccounted forOn 16 October the governments of Iran and Iraq, together with the ICRC, signed a memorandum of understanding that represents an important step towards easing the heavy burden of tens of thousands of bereaved Iraqi and Iranian families. The document establishes a clear framework for collecting information and sharing it between the two countries, and for handing over mortal remains. These tasks will be performed jointly by experts from both countries with ICRC support. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa) Feature Includes Photo 8-9-2008 Occupied Golan: crossing point opened for pilgrimsIn the first of a series of journeys due to take place over the coming month, 400 Druze pilgrims living in the Israeli-occupied Golan have crossed into Syria proper with the help of the ICRC. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Israel) Feature Includes Photo 26-2-2008 Iraq: Latifa visits her son, detained at Camp BuccaAs well as visiting people held by international forces in Iraq, the ICRC makes it possible for families to come to see their loved ones. Each time is a special moment for Latifa, the grandma from Mossul. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Iraq) Feature Includes Photo 15-10-2007 Middle East and North Africa: anti-personnel mines, explosive remnants of war and cluster munitionsThe current situation in the region and the latest on the ratification of the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines, the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and the Protocol on Explosive Remnants of War. (Focus\Landmines) Feature Includes Photo Interview8-6-2009 West Bank: illegal settlements cause hardship for PalestiniansSettler violence and severe restrictions on movement are affecting the daily lives of Palestinians in the southern part of the occupied West Bank, especially in the old town of Hebron. Matteo Benatti has been head of the ICRC's office in Hebron since September 2007. He explains the situation. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Palestine) Interview Includes Photo 27-1-2009 Gaza: from Qatar with a mission Shifa Hospital in Gaza City receives most of the critically injured patients from other Gaza hospitals. Said Abu Hasna and Samir Kazkaz are Qatari Red Crescent doctors returning from an ICRC mission at the hospital. Said discusses their experiences.
(The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Palestine) Interview Includes Photo 17-1-2009 Phosphorous weapons – the ICRC's view Peter Herby, head of the ICRC's Arms Unit, outlines the rules applicable to phosphorous weapons to explain the organization's approach to the issue. (Humanitarian law\Weapons\Conventional weapons) Interview 11-1-2009 Gaza: the challenge of reaching civilians in needAudio interviews with Antoine Grand, the head of the ICRC's sub-delegation in Gaza and
Said Shaath, a Palestinian ICRC employee. (Info resources\Audio\Middle East and North Africa) Interview Includes Audio 10-12-2008 Gaza: still no ICRC access to Gilad ShalitIt has been almost 900 days since the Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, was captured by Palestinian armed factions from Gaza. To date, the ICRC's attempts to visit him and to establish contact between him and his family have been unsuccessful. Pierre Wettach, the ICRC's head of delegation in Israel and the occupied territories, explains. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Israel) Interview Includes Photo 3-12-2008 Iraq: ICRC activities in behalf of Iranian nationals living in AshrafFor years the ICRC has been following the situation of the Iranians living in Ashraf, about 80 km north of Baghdad, who are currently under the protection of the US and Iraqi authorities. There has been a lot of discussion about what will happen to these people and which laws govern their situation, and about the ICRC's role. Juan-Pedro Schaerer, the ICRC’s head of delegation in Iraq, explains. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Iraq) Interview Includes Photo 29-5-2008 Amputees in Sahrawi refugee camps to receive artificial limbsOn 15 May 2008 the ICRC began manufacturing artificial limbs for Sahrawi amputees living in the refugee camps around the town of Tindouf, in south-western Algeria. Monhem Arab, an ICRC limb-fitting technician, explains how he and a physiotherapist have been working in Tindouf for the past year on a project to help the disabled. Monhem Arab, who is Lebanese, has been fitting people with artificial limbs for over 20 years, about half that time for the ICRC. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Tunisia) Interview Includes Photo 28-11-2006 Conference on IHL and Islam in IranOn the occasion of the conference on Islam and international humanitarian law, which takes place on the 29th and 30th of November 2006 in Qom, Iran, the ICRC's deputy director of operations, Andreas Wigger, talks about what this forum hopes to accomplish. (ICRC Activities\Promoting IHL\Universities) Interview Operational update19-6-2009 Iraq: ICRC activities in May 2009Dozens of civilians are still losing their lives on a daily basis in parts of Iraq. During the month of May, the ICRC continued to respond to the emergency needs of the population. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Iraq) Operational update 1-5-2009 Yemen: ICRC activities from January to March 2009Despite the relative calm, thousands of displaced people are still unable to return home, not only on account of the dangers but also because of a chronic shortage of water. Repairing water infrastructure and delivering water by truck are major ICRC activities in Yemen, along with aid deliveries, support to health services, the restoration of family links and the promotion of international humanitarian law. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Yemen) Operational update 21-4-2009 Lebanon : overview of ICRC activitiesIn Lebanon, the ICRC focuses on visiting detainees, restoring family links and helping preserve or restore acceptable living conditions for civilians, the sick and the wounded. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Lebanon) Operational update 15-3-2009 ICRC activities in the occupied Golan during 2008The ICRC has been working in the occupied Golan since 1967 and has maintained a full-time presence there since 1988, when it opened its office in Majd El Shams. Activities focus on re-establishing and maintaining contact between the 21,100 people living in the Golan and their families on the other side of the demarcation line. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Israel) Operational update 26-2-2009 Gaza: the struggle to pick up the piecesMore than a month after the end of the war, people in the Gaza Strip are still struggling to rebuild their lives. Tens of thousands of people have had their houses partially or completely destroyed, while thousands remain without access to running water. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Palestine) Operational update Includes Photo 24-11-2008 Lebanon: ICRC activities, August-October 2008The ICRC delegation in Lebanon has continued its regular activities, which have included aiding people affected by conflict, working with the Lebanese Red Cross, protection, and promoting international humanitarian law. Visits to various places of detention continued as scheduled, while seven water projects were completed in the Bekaa area, thus improving access for residents of that parched area. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Lebanon) Operational update Includes Photo Photo Collection6-4-2009 Gaza: the crisis continues without the prospect of lasting peace  Three months after Israel’s military operation, people in the Gaza Strip still struggle to exist. Tens of thousands have had their homes wrecked. Aid has been pledged, but without a courageous peace process, no meaningful reconstruction can take place. (Info resources\Photos\Middle East and North Africa) Photo Collection Includes Photo 4-2-2009 Gaza: let the seeds grow Agriculture is a lifeline for a sizeable portion of Gaza's population. When the sector took a severe blow during the recent fighting, a lot of people were left struggling to cope with this fresh setback. Now, those who can are picking up the pieces, as the ICRC’s Iyad Nasr explains. (Info resources\Photos\Middle East and North Africa) Photo Collection Includes Photo Press article21-1-2009 Red Cross and humanitarian life-saving actionArticle published in The Times, 21 January 2009. The humanitarian cost of this conflict and the civilian suffering need not have been so high. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Palestine) Press article 16-1-2009 Harald Veen Fresed goes through hell as a doctor at Shifa Hospital in GazaArticle published in Le Monde on 16 January 2009. Harald Veen Fresed has just spent a week at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The Dutch physician, who specializes in abdominal surgery, is exhausted. He was sent to Gaza by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and finds it difficult to disguise his feelings after what he calls "a real tragedy". Although he is no stranger to war or distressing situations – especially African conflicts – he returned home profoundly disturbed by what he had seen (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Palestine) Press article Report15-3-2008 Iraq: no let-up in the humanitarian crisisFive years after the outbreak of the war in Iraq, the humanitarian situation in most of the country remains among the most critical in the world. Because of the conflict, millions of Iraqis have insufficient access to clean water, sanitation and health care. The current crisis is exacerbated by the lasting effects of previous armed conflicts and years of economic sanctions. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Iraq) Report Includes PDF, Photo 13-12-2007 The occupied Palestinian territories: Dignity Denied Throughout the occupied Palestinian territories, in the Gaza Strip as well as the West Bank, Palestinians continuously face hardship in simply going about their lives; they are prevented from doing what makes up the daily fabric of most people's existence. An ICRC report. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Palestine) Report Includes PDF, Photo Video Collection2-3-2009 Rebuilding Gaza - February 2009 Industries in the Gaza Strip are struggling to re-establish after January's conflict. In this interview, Amr Hamad from the Palestinian Federation of Industries describes the devastation and subsequent rise in the numbers of unemployed. (Info resources\Video) Video Collection Includes Video 27-1-2009 Gaza in Ruins  Three weeks of intense conflict have taken a heavy toll on civilians. In Shijaiya, one of the poorest residential areas of Gaza City, families return to see the full extent of the damage. The ICRC and Palestine Red Crescent Society have started repair work on some of the Strip's shattered infrastructure, but it will take more than emergency aid for people in Gaza to recover from this latest crisis. (Info resources\Video) Video Collection Includes Video 15-1-2009 ICRC work round the clock in Shifa Hospital, Gaza City In Shifa Hospital, Gaza City, the main referral hospital in the Gaza strip, large numbers of severely injured patients are being treated round the clock. The ICRC medical staff at the hospital say that most of the casualties are civilians, many of them children. The shortage of intensive care beds for the most seriously injured puts lives further at risk. (Info resources\Video) Video Collection Includes Video 18-10-2007 West Bank: the effects of the Barrier on Palestinian farmersThis CNN/TVRL report for CNN World Report demonstrates the effects of the West Bank Barrier on Palestinian farmers and shows how the ICRC is trying to facilitate access to their land. (Info resources\Video) Video Collection Includes Video More in this section17-1-2008 Lebanon: 40 years of ICRC presenceThe International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been present in Lebanon since 1967 providing assistance and protection to civilians affected by armed conflict, in close cooperation with the Lebanese Red Cross Society and the Palestine Red Crescent Society. (The ICRC worldwide\Middle East and North Africa\Lebanon) Includes PDF, Photo  |
