- On the 30th day of Israel’s conflict with Gaza, a Palestinian Red Crescent Society ambulance was hit by an Israeli missile near Al-Shifa Hospital, resulting in multiple casualties.
- The deliberate targeting of medical teams, as indicated by this incident, has been condemned as a grave violation of the Geneva Conventions, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urging an immediate halt to such attacks.
On the 30th day of Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, intensive aerial bombardments and ground attacks persist in the besieged Palestinian enclave. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) issued a statement on Saturday, reporting that one of its ambulances had been hit “by a missile fired by the Israeli forces,” striking perilously close, approximately two meters from the entrance to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
This Friday strike resulted in the tragic loss of 15 lives and left 60 individuals wounded, aligning with earlier figures released by the health ministry. The PRCS detailed that a convoy of five ambulances, departing from Al-Shifa Hospital and heading south towards the Rafah crossing for the evacuation of the injured to Egyptian hospitals, had to turn back due to a roadway obstructed by rubble and rocks resulting from shelling. On their return journey to the hospital, the first “missile” strike damaged a health ministry ambulance and injured its occupants, while the second deadly strike targeted the PRCS ambulance, which was transporting a wounded woman and approaching the gates of Al-Shifa.
The Palestinian Red Crescent decried these actions as “a grave violation of the Geneva Conventions, a war crime.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his horror over the attack on the ambulance convoy outside Al-Shifa Hospital and called for an immediate cessation of such deadly assaults.
Targeting ambulances, a symbol of hope and aid in times of crisis, stands among the most inhumane and morally reprehensible acts during an already dire humanitarian crises. In moments when every second can mean the difference between life and death, the deliberate assault on vehicles meant to transport the injured and save lives is a flagrant violation of the basic principles of humanity and international law.
