Red Cross says humanitarian convoy hit by gunfire in Gaza

AFP , Wednesday 8 Nov 2023

The International Committee of the Red Cross said a humanitarian convoy carrying lifesaving medical supplies came under Israeli fire in Gaza City on Tuesday.

Humanitarian convoy
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) humanitarian convoy passes through the Rafah crossing towards Gaza. Photo: ICRC

 

The convoy of five trucks and two Red Cross vehicles was carrying supplies to health facilities in Gaza, including to Al-Quds hospital, when it was hit, an ICRC statement said, adding that two trucks were damaged and a driver lightly wounded.

"These are not the conditions under which humanitarian personnel can work," said William Schomburg, the head of the ICRC sub-delegation in Gaza.

"We are here to bring urgent assistance to civilians in need. Ensuring that vital aid can reach medical facilities is a legal obligation under international humanitarian law."

After the gunfire the convoy altered its route and reached Al-Shifa hospital where it delivered the medical supplies, the ICRC said.

Later the ICRC convoy accompanied six ambulances with critically wounded patients to the Rafah crossing to Egypt, it added.

The Red Cross demanded an end to the suffering of civilians in Gaza.

"Children have been ripped from their families and held hostage. In Gaza, ICRC surgeons treat toddlers whose skin is charred from widespread burns," the organisation's president Mirjana Spoljaric said.

Short link: