Red Cross says 2 staff killed in Israeli strike on home in southern Gaza

ISTANBUL

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced Sunday that two of its staff members were killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit their home in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, the day before.

In a statement on X, the ICRC identified the victims as Ibrahim Eid, a weapon contamination officer, and Ahmad Abu Hilal, a security guard at the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah. The organization said both men were killed in a strike on Saturday that targeted their homes.

“We are heartbroken by the death of two of our dear colleagues,” the ICRC said. “Their loss leaves a deep hole in our hearts.”

The Red Cross condemned the strike, pointing to the high civilian death toll in Gaza and reiterating its appeal for an immediate ceasefire. “Their killing points to the intolerable civilian death toll in Gaza. The ICRC reiterates its urgent call for a ceasefire and for the respect and protection of civilians, including medical, humanitarian relief, and civil defense personnel,” the organization said.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported on March 31 that at least 408 humanitarian personnel had been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, including more than 280 of its own staff.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 53,900 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against defenseless civilians in the enclave.