Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement urges respect for civilians and for all medical personnel
6 October 2000

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (International Federation) are extremely concerned by the scale of the violence which has once again erupted in the region, where 7 days of intense armed confrontations have left over 70 persons dead and over 2,000 wounded. Even children were among the victims.

The ICRC and the International Federation have called upon all those involved in the violence to respect the restraints imposed by International Humanitarian Law, in particular the Fourth Geneva Convention, and its principles.

They appeal to all those involved in the confrontations or having the authority to influence the situation to respect and to ensure respect for civilians and persons no longer taking part in the hostilities, such as those who are wounded or surrendering. Whenever force is used the principle of proportionality has to be applied, and all necessary measures have to be taken to avoid loss of life, injury or damage to protected civilians and to civilian property.

Furthermore, the ICRC and the International Federation strongly condemn the disregard for and attacks on medical personnel, as dozens of ambulances from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and the Magen David Adom in Israel (MDA) have been attacked. They remind all those involved in the violence that medical personnel, hospitals and other medical establishments, as well as medical transports and supplies, must be respected and protected in all circumstances. The wounded must be assisted and all medical personnel must be allowed to carry out their life-saving tasks.

In spite of very difficult security conditions, several hundred PRCS professionals and volunteers have been working tirelessly to alleviate suffering and save lives, assisting and evacuating the wounded and transporting the deceased. However, after several days of violent clashes, the capacity of the PRCS has been stretched to the limit. For their part, the MDA staff has been performing numerous life-saving operations, fulfilling its humanitarian mission in extremely difficult conditions.

Both the International Federation and the ICRC have been supporting the PRCS for many years. The Federation, by focusing on promoting the development of the PRCS so as to assist it in better responding to the needs and priorities of those in need, and the ICRC, in providing financial, technical, material and training support for its emergency medical services. The International Federation is currently assisting with the clearing of arriving ambulances and relief (medical and non medical) supplies. Federation staff has been assisting in clinics and with the provision of medical supplies while the ICRC delegation is covering the most urgent needs with regard to medical supplies to keep the first-aid posts operational. Furthermore the ICRC continues to perform its traditional protection activities, namely visits to detainees and dissemination of International Humanitarian Law and its fundamental principles.

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The Geneva-based International Federation promotes the humanitarian activities of 181 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies among vulnerable people. By coordinating international disaster relief and encouraging development support, it seeks to prevent and alleviate human suffering. The Federation, National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross together, constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.