Workers from the Red Cross perished in an air strike within Gaza; Report by ICRC
GAZA CITY
Two International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) staff members were tragically killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted their home in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Saturday. The victims have been identified as Ibrahim Eid, a Weapon Contamination Officer, and Ahmad Abu Hilal, a security guard at the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah.
The ICRC expressed deep sorrow over the loss, stating that "the death of two of our dear colleagues leaves a deep hole in our hearts." The organization openly condemned the strike, drawing attention to the high civilian death toll in Gaza and urging an immediate ceasefire to protect civilians, including medical and humanitarian personnel.
The latest casualties occur amid escalating Israeli operations in Gaza, which the military claims are aimed at destroying Hamas. On Saturday afternoon, the military reported conducting strikes on over 100 targets throughout Gaza over the past day.
In addition to the ICRC losses, Gaza's health ministry reported at least 22 people were killed and several more were wounded in Israeli air strikes across the Palestinian territory on Sunday. The majority of the deaths and injuries were civilians.
Rescuers expressed difficulty accessing the affected areas due to a lack of search and heavy equipment. Particularly challenging was the recovery of individuals from a strike on a home in Jabalia, where seven people, including a seven-month-pregnant woman, were killed. The unborn child could not be saved.
Further fatalities were reported in attacks on tents sheltering displaced people in Nuseirat, attacks on the home of the civil defense's director of operations Ashraf Abu Nar and his wife, and scattered attacks throughout the Gaza Strip in Deir el-Balah, Beit Lahia, and Khan Yunis.
The Israeli army did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strikes, while Gaza's health ministry reported a total of at least 3,785 people have been killed since a ceasefire collapsed on March 18, bringing the war's overall toll to 53,939, mostly civilians.
Established in May 2024, the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah continues to provide vital medical services to civilians affected by the ongoing armed conflict in Gaza. Despite the challenges and risks faced by humanitarian organizations in the region, the hospital remains operational, offering emergency surgeries, births, and survival services amidst continuous conflict.
Politics and war-and-conflicts dominated the headlines as the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah, offering critical care to Gaza's civilians, faced increased challenges amidst intensifying Israeli operations. Accidents and crime-and-justice reports were eclipsed by the general news of civilian casualties, including the tragic deaths of two ICRC staff members in airstrikes.
