“It is civilians who are paying the highest price,” warns the spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Middle East

In Gaza, “It is the civilians who are paying the highest price” after the Hamas attacks against Israel, said Tuesday October 10 on franceinfo Imene Trabelsi, spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the Middle East. Imene Trabelsi warns about the “growing needs” of the territory, in particular “in matters of drinking water” or electricity. The ICRC representative also calls “all parties to the conflict” to respect “international humanitarian law” who protects civilians “an obligation”.

franceinfo: What information is available to you from Gaza?

Imene Trabelsi: It is civilians who are paying the highest price due to this state of violence. In Gaza, according to information that our colleagues report from the field, conditions are deteriorating every hour.

“We are talking about civilians who are in a state of terror. There is a fairly alarming lack of access to the most basic needs.”

Imene Trabelsi, spokesperson for the ICRC in the Middle East

at franceinfo

Electricity problems are likely to cause a greater challenge for health facilities which are already under enormous pressure. They risk having more challenges in being able to meet the growing needs for assistance, in particular due to their limited capacity to obtain fuel to be able to supply themselves with electricity. We are also talking about needs in terms of drinking water and access to water, given that the two water desalination structures have been affected. In Gaza, there is a 40% reduction in access to drinking water, which is quite alarming. The next few days will be critical.

Is NGO work possible?

Today, all parties to the conflict are reminded of their obligations under international humanitarian law, which makes clear that there is a need to protect civilians and infrastructure vital to civilians. And we must also promote a certain guarantee for humanitarians and health personnel so that they can deliver their assistance without being afraid of losing their lives.

Volunteers from the Palestinian Red Crescent, but also from Magen David Adom, which is the civil society operating on the Israeli side, have been injured in recent days. It is imperative that all parties to the conflict respect their obligations. These are legal obligations, it is not a choice, it is not an option. International law, international humanitarian law is clear: the protection of civilians is an obligation for all parties.

Does the opening of a humanitarian corridor to Gaza seem possible to you under current conditions? And is there an urgent need for medical equipment or food?

What is certain is that restrictions on movements, whether the movements of civilians, but also the movements of goods or goods, risk complicating the situation. Today with these restrictions on movement, it is difficult to bring back more supplies, especially in raw materials or medicines. So the parties to the conflict really need to take humanitarian priority as the only objective in this very critical situation.