Gaza (ICRC) – Over the past 36 hours, staff at the Red Cross Field Hospital in Gaza have worked relentlessly to provide lifesaving treatment to a surge of patients, many with severe injuries. Renewed hostilities have led to more deaths and injuries, further straining an already devastated healthcare system and worsening the humanitarian crisis.
Within hours of the violence restarting, medical teams at the Rafah Field Hospital faced an overwhelming influx of patients. For the past eight weeks, they had focused on post-operative rehabilitation and maternity care amid relative calm. Yesterday, that calm was shattered.
“For two months, we delivered babies without the sound of explosions. We focused on long-term patient recovery. In one night, everything changed,” said Fred Oola, Senior Medical Officer at the Red Cross Field Hospital.
“Now, panic fills the air. Ambulance sirens never stop. The pain and devastation are visible on every face. People are terrified, forced once again to focus only on surviving the next few hours.”
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Across Gaza, emergency triage protocols were reactivated, surgeries resumed, and hospital beds filled rapidly. Meanwhile, the suspension of humanitarian aid has severely depleted medical supplies, making it even harder to manage the sharp increase in casualties.
People in Gaza urgently need a break from violence and access to lifesaving humanitarian aid. All remaining hostages must be released. These efforts depend on maintaining the ceasefire agreement. We urge all parties to uphold their commitments so humanitarian relief can continue.
About the ICRC
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a neutral, impartial, and independent organization with a humanitarian mandate rooted in the Geneva Conventions of 1949. It provides assistance to people affected by armed conflict and violence, working to protect lives, uphold dignity, and alleviate suffering—often in partnership with Red Cross and Red Crescent societies.