The head of the International Red Cross Committee (ICRC) told the BBC that Gaza became “hell on Earth” as Israeli military attacks continued.
Miljana Sporsjarik’s comments come the same day that the UN Human Rights Office warned that Israeli tactics threatened the viability of Palestinians who continue to live in Gaza.
The ICRC is the guardian of the Geneva treaties and is an internationally agreed rule of conduct in war – and usually speaks secretly to the fighting party only when it believes that a violation is taking place.
But Ms Spoljaric now publicly says that what is happening in Gaza is an “extreme cry” of international law.
Israeli artillery fires have killed 1,542 people since renewing the war on March 18, Gaza’s Hamaslan Health Ministry says. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has also issued an evacuation order that forced around 400,000 people to move. Israel has also imposed a complete lockdown on the intrusion of food, medical supplies and all other goods since March 2nd.
Israel argues that it has always followed Gaza’s international law, and that the specific nature of this conflict can result in average collateral damage as Hamas fighters are hidden among civilians.
The Israeli minister claims there is enough food in Gaza, saying that the bombardment and seizure of the territory aims to pressure the release of hostages Hamas still holds.
Under the fourth Geneva Convention, as Israel is in Gaza, the right to occupation must ensure that civilians have food and medicine, and protect hospitals and healthcare workers. The treaty also prohibits forced relocation of entire groups from the occupying territories.
“Neither the state nor the parties to the conflict can exempt the obligation to commit war crimes, not commit genocide, not commit ethnic cleansing,” Spoljaric said.
“These rules apply. They are universal.”
The civilians were bearing the brunt of the relentless pursuit of military targets, she added, and they were evacuated multiple times, and their homes were reduced to tile rubs.
Of the 36 recent airstrikes verified by the UN Human Rights Office, all those killed were women and children.
Israel vehemently denied the accusations of committing genocide or genocide in Gaza.
Israeli military said it was considering an attack that killed a member of one member of Khan Yunis’s family, and that it had hit 40 “terrorist targets” across the territory on the past day.
The ICRC comments are the latest in a chorus of concern from the United Nations and other agencies.
On Friday, Rabina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the United Nations Office of Human Rights, said the “cumulative impact” of the IDF’s actions “means that Israel appears to be given to Palestinians on Gaza terms that are increasingly consistent with their continued existence as a Gaza group.
Israel continued to bomb tents in the Almawasi area, which told people to go to people for their safety, she added.
On Tuesday, the UN Secretary-General warned that Israel’s blockade of Gaza violated the Geneva treaty and that the territory is beginning to become a “sacrificed field.” On Monday, the heads of six UN aid agencies appealed to the world to act to save the people of Gaza and to support basic international law.
The Geneva rules are based on the following principles:
Warzone medical staff and hospitals must be protected and allowed to work freely injured in combat, combat is no longer entitled to combat.
Twenty years ago, it was what was called the war on terrorism, and the United States suggested that the Geneva treaty might be outdated in modern warfare, but the ICRC argues that it applies in all circumstances.
“It’s not a transaction,” Spoljaric said. “No matter what the other side does, you need to follow these rules.”
She called for a renewal of the ceasefire, noting that during the suspension of previous battles, the ICRC was able to take Israeli hostages out of Gaza and reunite with her family.
However, she also warned of the growth of “dehumanization” during the war. There, despite the obvious war crimes being committed, the international community turned its back.
Geneva’s practice of protecting civilians was created after World War II, she noted, ensuring that such dehumanization never happens again. Diluting or abandoning them will send you a dangerous signal that “all is allowed.”
The ICRC believes that sticking to the rules of war will ultimately help build more sustainable peace. As the battle ceases, the thoughts progress, both soldiers and civilians remember whether the people on the other side followed international law or committed atrocities.
But Gaza believes, “It will bother us. It will trouble us for a long time, as we cannot revoke our suffering…it will trouble us for generations.”
Israeli forces launched a campaign on October 7, 2023 to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack.
More than 50,912 people have been killed in Gaza since.
