Humanity must come first in Gaza

Every day, civilians in Gaza continue to bear the brunt of armed conflict and violence, as injuries and hunger escalate and they suffer countless indignities.

Critical infrastructure and essential services everywhere have been impacted. Gaza’s health-care system has been in ruins for months, and the trickle of humanitarian aid entering Gaza has meant people are not getting enough food, clean water, medical supplies, or access to safe shelter.

New Zealand Red Cross supports the International Committee of the Red Cross, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and our Movement partners who are on the ground and calling for urgent collective action to end the tragedy of human suffering in Gaza.

Our Movement is delivering urgent medical care, aid supplies, and psychosocial support in Gaza, as well as running field hospitals and helping families stay connected amid ongoing conflict and critical shortages.

"We stand in solidarity with the humanitarian efforts of our Movement colleagues as they respond to the scale of abhorrent human suffering in Gaza," Sarah Stuart-Black, Secretary General of New Zealand Red Cross said.

Hostilities are taking place in heavily populated areas, including around hospitals, endangering the lives of the most vulnerable people – patients, the wounded, premature babies, people with disabilities, the elderly, and medical staff.

"There is no excuse for what is happening in Gaza. This tragedy must end now. Immediately and decisively. Every political hesitation, every attempt at justification of the horrors being committed under international watch, will be forever judged as a collective failure to preserve humanity in war," Mirjana Spoljaric, International Committee of the Red Cross President said.

Red Cross field hospital

New Zealand nurse Felicity Gapes is working at the only fully operational Red Cross field hospital in Rafah in southern Gaza and is witnessing first-hand the escalation of injuries and hunger as people scramble for food.

Felicity coordinates health services for International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza and has been working at the Red Cross Field Hospital in Al-Mawasi since late January.

She recently told 1News that there’s been a significant increase in mass casualty events since the United States and Israel-backed food distribution system started in late May.

“The impact of gunshot wounds and explosive injuries is huge and it’s far and it’s wide," she said.

View the full 1News story