PRCS: Israel killed 1,056 medical personnel, arrested 350 others since October 2023

3 months ago

Palestinian Red Crescent workers perform funeral prayers for their colleagues, after the bodies of the two paramedics were brought to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis city, Gaza on May 30, 2024. [Doaa Albaz - Anadolu Agency]

The Israeli occupation has systematically and deliberately targeted Palestinian medical teams, killing more than 1,056 and arresting 350 others since 7 October 2023, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has said.

In a statement issued yesterday, Bashar Murad, director of health programmes at PRCS, said Israel has committed serious violations against health workers in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including paramedics, primary care crews as well as ambulances and hospitals.

According to the statement, the Israeli occupation army has deliberately targeted and destroyed four branches of the PRCS in Gaza, causing significant damage to them, including the Jabalia branch in the northern Gaza Strip, which was completely destroyed.

Murad added that Al-Amal Complex, the largest PRCS centre in Gaza City, was also targeted, resulting in the deaths of 47 Palestinians, including medical and paramedic staff, as well as displaced persons who sought refuge there.

Murad explained that about 80 per cent of the PRCS’s capabilities have been systematically and deliberately destroyed in the Gaza Strip, even though the Red Crescent, along with the Red Cross, are international organisations protected under international law in war and conflict zones.

He pointed out that 32 Red Crescent personnel have been killed due to the Israeli war machine, most of whom were directly and deliberately targeted while performing their duties in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has killed more than 45,855 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023 and injured 109,140 more, according to the Ministry of Health.

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