The president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Kate Forbes said that she witnessed firsthand the catastrophic realities faced by civilians in Gaza amid the ongoing crisis in the enclave.
Forbes emphasised on her X account the urgent need for protection and humanitarian aid in the region.
“Today, I visited Gaza, where I witnessed the catastrophic and utterly dire conditions firsthand,” Forbes said. “What I saw reiterated that civilians, medical facilities, and our Red Cross and Red Crescent teams need protection. Our teams (also) need access to deliver vital life-saving humanitarian aid.”
She emphasised that beyond the statistics, the crisis in Gaza is fundamentally about people and their inherent right to dignity and protection.
“What I took away from today’s visit is that this crisis isn’t just about numbers; this is about people and their need for dignity and protection. We must protect the most vulnerable,” she said.
Since October 7, the Israeli occupation army has waged a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, which has left an enormous humanitarian catastrophe and a major health and environmental disaster.
The Israeli occupation destroyed the only supplies of fuel, electricity, water, and food for the people of the Gaza Strip at the start of the conflict by bombing bakeries, factories, stores, water stations, tanks, and other infrastructure.
The Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and human rights, as it exposes the civilians’ lives to extreme danger and causes them great suffering, which requires urgent and decisive international intervention to stop the aggression and protect civilians in the Gaza Strip.
