International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement Response
ICRC
The ICRC has played a crucial role in engaging with parties to the armed conflict to remind them of their obligations under IHL, and in particular:
- the rules governing the conduct of hostilities;
- the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure;
- the prohibition of hostage-taking;
- the protection of the medical mission;
- the civilian population’s right to access essential services;
- the treatment and family rights of persons arrested and detained; and
- the dignified management of the dead.
The ICRC has scaled up its response to address new humanitarian needs in Israel and the Gaza Strip, through the strength of its mandate, existing presence, and built-in emergency capacity. It stepped up its response in the West Bank to address the humanitarian consequences of a sharp rise in violence.
The ICRC works in close coordination with its partners in the Movement and service providers, partners and communities on the ground, in particular PRCS and MDA.
More information on the ICRC’s response is available here.
From 7 October 2023 to 31 July 2024, ICRC has:
- Facilitated the release, transfer and return of 109 hostages from the Gaza Strip to their families.
- Facilitated the release, transfer and return of 154 Palestinian detainees to their families.
- Received 9,210 requests from family members seeking information about loved ones, including through additional emergency hotlines in Arabic, Hebrew, and English. We have closed 2,560 of these cases so far.
- Distributed 46,000+ forensic items for the management, identification and return of human remains to their families.
- Conducted humanitarian visits to 556 detainees in 15 places of detention in the OPT, one in the Gaza Strip and 14 in the West Bank.
- Provided cash assistance to 46,100 vulnerable individuals in the Gaza Strip, mostly persons internally displaced by the ongoing hostilities, to cover basic needs.
- Provided essential household items to 1,172,034 internally displaced persons accommodated in non-UN shelters in the Gaza Strip, Khan Younis and the Middle Area.
- Opened the Red Cross Field Hospital, operated in collaboration with Partner National Societies of the ICRC.
- The Red Cross Field Hospital has provided 14,681 consultations; with 598 patients admitted. 662 surgical procedures have been performed, 12% of which were orthopaedic surgeries. 95% of the surgical procedures were carried out on weapon-wounded patients.
- Provided 962 metric tonnes of medical supplies and deployed two specialised surgical teams in the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah, at the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
- Helped 1,000,000+ people in the Gaza Strip City, Deir Al-Balah, Beit Lahia, Khan Younis, and Rafah regain access to clean water.
