GENEVA /PNN/

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) stressed in a statement today that the horrific suffering of civilians in the Gaza Strip as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression must end.

“With a military siege in place, people in Gaza are deprived of food, water, and medicine. Sparse aid is arriving leaving communities without the essentials to survive. Safe and sustained humanitarian access across Gaza is urgently needed,” said ICRC in a statement.

Massive bombardments are gutting civilian infrastructure across Gaza, sowing seeds of hardship for generations to come. Critical services like health care, water, and electricity must be immediately restored in Gaza as a lifesaving priority, it added.

“Among the most shocking impact is the agony children have had to bear,” said ICRC.

“In Gaza, ICRC surgeons treat toddlers whose skin is charred from widespread burns,” said ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric. “What more must children endure? The images of suffering, dead, and wounded children will haunt us all. This is a moral failing.”

ICRC stressed the need to adhere to international humanitarian law and spare all civilians from the conduct of military operations. Both the spirit and the letter of the law must be applied.

Regarding Israel’s targeting of hospitals in Gaza, “Medical facilities are sanctuaries for the sick and wounded, as well as for the thousands of displaced people seeking refuge. They must be protected. The human cost of not doing so is unbearable.”