The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced that the office was damaged in a bombardment near its office in Gaza on Friday and 22 people who took shelter around it died. In the statement of the Red Cross, it was said: “On Friday afternoon, heavy-caliber bullets fell meters from the offices and residences of the International Committee of the Red Cross.”
Details of the incident
The attack damaged the structure of the ICRC office, which was surrounded by hundreds of displaced civilians living in tents, including our Palestinian colleagues. It was stated that the 22 dead and 45 injured people were taken to the nearby Red Cross Field Hospital, and there may be more injured. Describing this as a “serious security incident”, the Red Cross said that several similar incidents have occurred in recent days.
Statement from the Red Cross
Recalling the obligation of all parties to take measures to prevent harm to civilians and humanitarian facilities, the Red Cross said, “We condemn these events that put the lives of humanitarian aid workers and civilians at risk.” The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza gave different figures and said that 25 people were killed and 50 people were injured in the bombardment, which it blamed on Israel.
Tension Between Israel and Hamas
Speaking to the AFP news agency, an Israeli army spokesman said that according to initial findings, there was “no indication” that they had carried out an attack in the region, but that the incident was “being investigated”. The Israeli army launched a war to “destroy” Hamas in response to an attack on southern Israel on October 7, in which approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 people were taken hostage.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, which has been under the control of Hamas since 2006, more than 37 thousand 390 people have been killed in Gaza since then. As of the end of April, it was determined that there were 14 thousand 680 children, women and the elderly among the dead.
