The Red Crescent rescuers have died. A call to protect humanitarian workers
date
8 May 2025
category
On World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, we remember the eight rescuers who, while trying to save human lives, were shot dead in Gaza. The Polish Red Cross joins the international call for the protection of humanitarian workers and adherence to international humanitarian law.
On March 23, during the offensive on the Tel al-Sultan refugee camp, ambulances heading to assist the wounded in the assault on the Hashashin neighborhood in Rafah were fired upon. As a result of the attack on the ambulances, eight workers of the Palestinian Red Crescent, five civil defense rescuers, and one UN worker were killed.
On World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) together with the President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) issued a joint statement emphasizing that the death of the rescuers who were killed while trying to save human lives requires more than just words of outrage — it requires action.
"The international community can no longer look away: the rules of war are being ignored, and humanitarian workers are being deliberately targeted. Every attack on a humanitarian worker is an attack on the community they served and a violation of laws aimed at protecting civilians and alleviating suffering in conflict"
The brutal killing of members of the Palestinian Red Crescent has sparked a global protest, but their story is not isolated. From Gaza to Sudan, Ukraine, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, rescuers, volunteers, and Red Cross and Red Crescent workers are being shot at while they are driving ambulances, distributing aid, and going to communities in need on the front lines.
The year 2024 was tragic for humanitarian workers - the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement alone lost 38 workers and volunteers. In 2025, 10 of them were killed. If this horrifying trend continues, the current year may be more disastrous than the previous one.
The ICRC and the IFRC emphasize that it is the direct responsibility of states and parties to armed conflicts to reverse this disturbing and dangerous trend. It is their duty to protect humanitarian workers, abide by international humanitarian law, and defend our humanity.
The time to act is now.
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See also:
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On the side of humanitarianism. World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day
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