Since the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East, humanitarian and medical personnel have been caught in the crossfire, threatening the survival of civilians in need of assistance. If this trend continues, we fear we will have to mourn the deaths of more colleagues killed while trying to save lives.
In less than two weeks, these fears have begun to materialize. A Lebanese Red Cross rescuer died from serious injuries while trying to help injured civilians; others also suffered injuries. In Iran, employees and volunteers of the Iranian Red Crescent Society were injured while assisting civilians affected by hostilities.
The personnel and volunteers of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, as well as those of Magen David Adom in Israel, continue their work in the region despite the dangers, risking their lives to help those in distress.
Humanitarian workers are protected under international humanitarian law. Just over a year ago, eight rescuers from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society were brutally killed while providing care to the wounded in Gaza. While this tragedy sparked global outrage, in all current conflicts, humanitarian workers and medical personnel continue to be killed, injured, abducted, or detained while simply trying to help populations.
Just last Wednesday, a UNICEF colleague was killed in a suspected drone attack in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since the beginning of the year, several employees and volunteers of the Red Cross and Red Crescent have lost their lives in the line of duty, not only in Lebanon but also in Sudan, Gaza, and Iran.
We reiterate our demand and once again call on states and parties to conflicts to immediately take concrete measures to protect these women and men who risk their lives to save the lives of others. Protecting humanitarian workers is about preserving our common humanity. Many lives are at stake, within our teams, but also in the communities they are helping.
