A convoy of four ambulances transporting patients from the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City arrived at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement as it called for the protection of hospitals, medical personnel and patients in the ongoing war.
William Schomburg, the head of the ICRC’s office in Gaza, said, “It is an immense relief to know that these patients are safe and will receive urgent medical care.”
“I can’t emphasize enough how crucial it is that hospitals, medical personnel, and patients are protected amid this violence. There are thousands of critically injured people in Gaza. It is an obligation under international humanitarian law to spare them from harm.”
Two vehicles from the ICRC also accompanied the convoy.
The international humanitarian organization called on all parties “to uphold their obligations under international law” warning that thousands of critically wounded civilians “can no longer access” hospitals that are alarmingly unable to function due to damage and lack of supplies.
The Palestinian Red Crescent on Monday cautioned the Al Quds hospital in Gaza City has only 48 hours of fuel left before critical life-saving equipment, neonatal incubators, and intensive care units will be out of service, intensifying the burden on the over-stretched medical facilities in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli forces have continued to shell areas no more than 50 meters away from the Al Quds hospital where over 14,000 displaced Palestinians are seeking shelter, the Red Crescent also said.
Schomburg said, “Accepting violence against healthcare facilities, now when their role is so critical, will come at an unacceptable cost in human life. The wounded and sick must be protected in all circumstances.”
