Gaza health system ‘extremely fragile' as aid point killings increase: ICRC
Gaza's healthcare system is 'extremely fragile' amid the ongoing Israeli war, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned.
The organisation said in a statement on Sunday that the enclave's hospitals are in urgent need of protection and reinforcement amid Israel's continued bombardment and blockade. It added that the system is facing growing pressure due to increasing casualty rates from Israeli attacks at aid points.
'In the last two weeks, the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah has had to activate its mass casualty incident procedure 12 times, receiving high numbers of patients with gunshot and shrapnel wounds,' ICRC said in a statement on X on Sunday.
'An overwhelming majority of patients from the recent incidents said they had been trying to reach assistance distribution sites,' it continued.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire around aid distribution sites operated by the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) since it launched on May 27.
The organisation ousted the United Nations and other independent agencies from the aid distribution effort following an 11-week blockade of the enclave that prompted numerous warnings that many of Gaza's people now face famine.
Gaza's Government Media Office reported on Sunday that the death toll from events centred on the GHF aid sites had risen to 125. A further 736 are reported to have been wounded, with nine missing.
The Hamas-run office said 13 people were killed and 153 injured in the latest attacks. Israeli forces were reported to have opened fire on civilians gathered near aid distribution centres east of Rafah and Wadi Gaza Bridge, in central Gaza.
Witness Abdallah Nour al-Din told the AFP news agency that 'people started gathering in the al-Alam area of Rafah' in the early morning.
'After about an hour and a half, hundreds moved towards the site and the army opened fire,' he said.
The Israeli military said it fired on people who 'continued advancing in a way that endangered the soldiers' despite warnings.
A GHF statement said there had been no incidents 'at any of our three sites' on Sunday.
The Red Cross also expressed concern that the intensifying conflict is putting the enclave's few functional medical facilities at risk.
'Recent days have seen an increase in hostilities around the few remaining and functional hospitals,' it said in the statement.
'This has made patient transfers between facilities increasingly challenging, and in many cases, patients cannot receive the intensive or specialized care they require.'
The ICRC warned that further loss of life is inevitable without urgent action and called for the protection of healthcare infrastructure and personnel.
'It requires taking all feasible steps to support their work, ensure their safety, and guarantee that they are not deprived of vital resources needed to carry out their work.'
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