This is the second such incident in three weeks; another premises in the area was struck by a tank shell on 24 March. Both incidents occurred despite the buildings being clearly marked and regularly notified to all parties.
These incidents highlight the risks to which civilians, medical staff, and humanitarian workers in the Gaza Strip are exposed today. These incidents impact the ability of the ICRC to provide essential protection and assistance to hundreds of thousands of people who need assistance to survive and contribute to an ever-shrinking humanitarian space. We condemn in the strongest terms any action that inhibits our ability to do our work and risks the lives of humanitarian workers.
Parties must respect and protect humanitarian workers and objects used for humanitarian relief operations. The repetition of these incidents shows that parties must do much more to provide clear instructions to weapon bearers to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian workers and their facilities. These are obligations under international humanitarian law.
For more information, please contact:
Hachem Osseiran, ICRC Dubai, tel: (+971) 504 254 091, hosseiran@icrc.org
