GENEVA: A month after the unrest erupted, the Red Cross demanded on Tuesday an end to the horrific suffering of civilians, and especially children, decrying a “moral failing”.

“One month on, civilians in Gaza and Israel are being forced to endure tremendous suffering and loss. This needs to stop,” the International Commit­tee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement.

“Massive bombardments are gutting civilian infrastructure across Gaza, sowing seeds of hardship for generations to come,” the ICRC statement said.

The organisation’s president Mirjana Spoljaric said she had been particularly shocked to see the suffering that children have had to endure.

“Children have been ripped from their families and held hostage. In Gaza, ICRC surgeons treat toddlers whose skin is charred from widespread burns,” she said in the statement.

“The images of suffering, dead and wounded children will haunt us all. This is a moral failing,” she added. Spoljaric also called for the immediate release of prisoners held by Hamas.

“They play no part in this conflict and we reiterate our offer as neutral actor to facilitate any future release operation,” she said.

“Until then we continue all our efforts to urge Hamas and all those with influence to allow ICRC personnel to visit the hostages,” she added.

The organisation insisted that all parties to the unrest “must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and spare all civilians from the conduct of military operations.”

It pointed out that the military siege of Gaza had deprived people there of food, water and medicine, and warned that the “sparse aid” trickling in was not able to provide people with the essentials to survive.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2023