The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) called on Wednesday for a ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip, where millions of people face worsening hunger. The war-torn enclave is suffering from a humanitarian catastrophe nearly seven months after Israel launched a devastating offensive in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks that killed 1,200 people in Israel. “We desperately need a political solution that will allow us to have a ceasefire to get aid in,” IFRC President Kate Forbes said in an interview in the capital, Manila. “There was no not enough housing. There was no water, there weren’t enough sanitation toilets. We had a hospital with no equipment… and unfortunately what I was afraid of has happened, and that there wasn’t going to be enough food,” Forbes said.
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Quick Read
- 3 Israeli soldiers killed in Rafah booby trap explosion, media say, as offensive widens
- Casualties: Three Israeli soldiers were killed in Rafah on Tuesday when a booby trap exploded, with three others wounded. This brings the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since the ground operation in Gaza began in October to at least 290.
- Israeli Operations: Israel is conducting limited operations in eastern Rafah along the Gaza-Egypt border, aiming to dismantle Hamas and rescue hostages taken during the October 7 attack.
- Heavy Fighting: Palestinians reported heavy fighting in Rafah on Wednesday as Israeli forces intensified their assault. Over 1 million Palestinians have fled the city, seeking refuge in dire conditions.
- Humanitarian Impact: Israeli bombardments and ground offensives have resulted in more than 36,000 Palestinian deaths, as reported by the Gaza Health Ministry.
- Historical Context: The conflict escalated following Hamas’ October 7 attack, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people in southern Israel and the abduction of about 250 individuals, with around 100 hostages still believed to be held in Gaza.
The Associated Press has the story:
World’s largest humanitarian network calls for Gaza ceasefire as offensive widens
Newslooks- TEL AVIV, Israel — (AP)
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) called on Wednesday for a ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip, where millions of people face worsening hunger.
The war-torn enclave is suffering from a humanitarian catastrophe nearly seven months after Israel launched a devastating offensive in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks that killed 1,200 people in Israel.
“We desperately need a political solution that will allow us to have a ceasefire to get aid in,” IFRC President Kate Forbes said in an interview in the capital, Manila.
“We’re ready to make a difference. We have to have access, and to have access there has to have a ceasefire,” said Forbes, who in December became the second woman to ever hold the top job at the world’s largest humanitarian network.
“There was no not enough housing. There was no water, there weren’t enough sanitation toilets. We had a hospital with no equipment… and unfortunately what I was afraid of has happened, and that there wasn’t going to be enough food,” Forbes said.
Prospects for a resumption of mediated Gaza ceasefire talks grew over the weekend, even as Israel pressed on with its offensive in Gaza to eliminate the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas after the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to stop attacking Rafah.
Hamas has denied reports that talks would resume earlier this week. Both sides have blamed the other for the deadlock. Israel has said it cannot accept Hamas’ demand to end the war, while the Palestinians want Palestinian prisoners to be released.
“I plead with the governments on all sides to negotiate a ceasefire so that we can get aid in,” Forbes said.
“My job is to ensure that when it (ceasefire) happens, we can give the aid that’s necessary. And so they need to do their jobs so I can do my job,” she added.
3 Israeli soldiers killed in a booby trap explosion as Rafah
Three soldiers have been killed in Rafah, the Israeli military said Wednesday. Israeli media reported that the soldiers were killed when a booby trap exploded Tuesday, and three other soldiers were wounded. The military says at least 290 soldiers have been killed since the ground operation in Gaza began in October.
Israel says it is carrying out limited operations in eastern Rafah along the Gaza-Egypt border. Palestinians in Rafah reported heavy fighting Wednesday as Israeli forces pressed their assault on the border town once seen as the territory’s last refuge. The United States and other allies of Israel have warned against a full-fledged offensive in the city.
Israeli leaders say their forces must enter Rafah to dismantle Hamas and return hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.
Fighting in Rafah has caused more than 1 million Palestinians to flee, most of whom had already been displaced in the war between Israel and Hamas. They now seek refuge in squalid tent camps and other war-ravaged areas, where they lack shelter, food, water and other essentials for survival, the U.N. says.
Israeli bombardments and ground offensives in Gaza have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Israel launched its war in Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killed some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducted about 250. Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more.
Palestinians on Wednesday reported heavy fighting in different parts of Rafah. Israel appears to be broadening its incursion, which has already caused over 1 million people to flee the city. Most had already been displaced earlier in the war.
Israel launched what it said was a limited incursion into Rafah on May 6, focused on the Gaza-Egypt border, which it says Hamas has long used to smuggle arms. It says Rafah is the last major stronghold for Hamas, but the militants have regrouped elsewhere in Gaza.
The military says at least 290 soldiers have been killed since the ground operation in Gaza began in October.
IFRC JOINS GROWING CALLS FOR A CEASE-FIRE AND DESPERATELY NEEDED AID IN GAZA
MANILA, Philippines — The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies joined growing calls Wednesday for a cease-fire and humanitarian aid access to the Gaza Strip, saying these were critically needed to ease the horrific suffering of civilians trapped in the seven-month conflict.
“It’s absolutely imperative,” IFRC President Kate Forbes told The Associated Press in an interview in the Philippine capital, Manila, where she was to hold a series of meetings. “First, we have to have a government solution to get a cease-fire so that we can get access and then, we will give aid to both sides.”
Some areas need “psychosocial support and in some, it’s going to be absolute aid,” said Forbes, who rose to the presidency of the world’s largest humanitarian network in December.
“I’ve said this is both a sprint and a marathon. We need to get aid in immediately in Gaza for people who have malnutrition, there’s not adequate sanitation,” she said. “But it’s going to be a marathon in that there’s going to be aid that’s going to be needed for decades to repair Gaza and the people there.”
Currently:
— Israeli strikes kill at least 37 Palestinians, most in tents, near Gaza’s Rafah.
— Missile attacks damage a ship in the Red Sea off Yemen’s coast, near previous Houthi rebel assaults.
— A U.S.-built pier will be removed from the Gaza coast and repaired after damage from rough seas.
— Algeria proposes a Security Council resolution demanding Israel halt its offensive in Rafah.
— The U.S. says it is not planning any policy changes in response to civilian deaths from an Israeli strike.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Gaza at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
