Gaza: The Irish Red Cross sends €30,000 for emergency medical supplies as well as deploying an experienced Irish Red Cross health delegate to the region

The firing of rockets from Gaza at towns in southern Israel is also causing suffering among the civilian population there. Both parties to this conflict must fully meet their obligations under international humanitarian law (IHL), in order to minimize the number of civilians killed or injured.

Noel Wardick, Head of the International Department, Irish Red Cross says "the situation in Gaza, since the Israeli Defence Forces launched their ground offensive on Saturday night, has become both chaotic and extremely dangerous."

Given the worsening situation, the Irish Red Cross is immediately sending €30,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for the purchase and supply of much needed emergency medical supplies in Gaza. In addition the Irish Red Cross is deploying one of its most experienced overseas staff members, Vivienne Lusted to the region. Ms. Lusted is a qualified health professional and has previously worked on mission for the Irish Red Cross in Africa and Asia. Ms. Lusted will work on loan from the Irish Red Cross with the ICRC in the region.

"Our colleagues on the ground are reporting that it is difficult for them to move around and assess the urgent humanitarian needs created by the continued shelling, bombing and fighting on the ground. Indeed the ground attack has forced many civilians in the north of the Gaza Strip to flee their homes".

The fighting is causing damage to hospitals, water supply systems, government buildings and mosques. A number of water supply lines have been severed during bombardments, making it very difficult for families in certain areas of the Gaza Strip to get hold of safe drinking water.

"We are seriously concerned about the reports we are receiving with regard to civilian casualties and damage to civilian objects," said Mr. Wardick. "The safety of civilians is our primary concern in this conflict and the ICRC and the whole Red Cross Red Crescent Movement is calling on all parties to spare the lives of all those who are not directly participating in hostilities," he explained.

Both parties to this conflict must fully meet their obligations under international humanitarian law (IHL), in order to minimize the number of civilians killed or injured.

Most importantly, IHL prohibits direct attacks on civilians and indiscriminate attacks. The parties to the conflict must at all times distinguish between civilians and fighters, and between civilian objects and military objectives.

"Every person not directly participating in hostilities is protected under IHL and must not be harmed," stated Mr. Wardick. "In a conflict situation, the only legitimate distinction is between civilians, who are protected by the law, and fighters, who can be attacked."

Furthermore, the choice of means and methods of warfare is not unlimited in the conduct of military operations. The parties must take all feasible precautions to avoid or minimize loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects. Military objectives must not be located in or near densely populated areas.

"Full compliance with these rules is of the utmost importance, particularly in the densely populated Gaza Strip,” said Mr Wardick. "We are worried about the increasing number of civilian casualties and the increasing number of civilian buildings, including hospitals, damaged in the fighting. Key civilian facilities in Gaza, such as hospitals, water systems and sewerage installations were already in a precarious state because of the closures and import restrictions imposed by Israel over the past 18 months."

IHL also requires parties to a conflict to pay particular attention to the types of weapons and munitions used and their possible effects on civilians and civilian infrastructure. IHL prohibits the use of indiscriminate weapons which by their nature cannot distinguish between military objectives and civilians. Weapons such as rockets that cannot be directed at military objectives without endangering the civilian population are equally prohibited. The use of cluster munitions in densely populated areas would probably result in violations of IHL, as they cannot be used in such a way as to adequately distinguish between military objectives on the one hand and protected civilians and civilian property on the other.

Each party to the conflict must without delay do everything possible to search for, collect and evacuate the wounded and sick. Medical personnel, hospitals and other medical units must be respected and protected, as must medical vehicles, such as ambulances, exclusively assigned to helping the wounded and sick. Attacks on medical personnel are prohibited, as are attacks on facilities performing exclusively medical tasks.

Hospitals

The ICRC has received urgent requests for strong painkillers, anaesthetics, body bags and sheets to wrap dead bodies.

Hospitals are now dealing with a new influx of wounded people. It is extremely important that they receive new supplies almost every day.

Hospitals are now completely dependent on generators for electricity. Many of these generators are unreliable due to lack of maintenance and because of the Israeli restrictions on the import of spare parts. The generators are running around the clock, which means that some of them may break down at any moment, making it impossible to use life-saving medical equipment.

Red Cross action

• A war-surgery team that had been awaiting Israeli authorization to enter Gaza for the past three days has now received permission and will be moving in to Gaza today, 5 January. Once the team is able to enter the Strip, it will be helping surgeons at Shifa Hospital to treat complicated injuries.
• Although it is extremely difficult for Red Cross staff to move around the Strip, they have managed to escort technicians repairing damage to power lines supplying the northern part of Gaza with electricity from Israel. In coordination with the Israeli authorities, the ICRC has also arranged safe passage to particularly dangerous areas for a number of ambulances and a fire brigade team, to make sure that they were not hit by shelling while assisting people in need.
• The Red Cross has also assisted the Sister of Mother Theresa Centre for the mentally handicapped, providing nappies and drinking water.

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Notes for Editor

The Irish Red Cross can arrange interviews with Mr Noel Wardick, Head of the International Department, Irish Red Cross
Contact: Dave Curtin 086 283 2123 or Pia Ward, Communications Assistant, Irish Red Cross 01 642 4612 communications@redcross.ie