2LT International News

The International Red Cross’s affiliated Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has accused Israeli forces of deliberately targeting its headquarters in Khan Younis in a nighttime attack on Saturday, violating international humanitarian law. In an official statement shared on X, the PRCS reported heavy shelling of its compound.

Three separate strikes all but destroyed the Red Crescent buildings, killed one worker, and wounded two others. The strikes triggered a widespread fire in the compound. A civilian who was helping extinguish the fire was wounded as well when Israeli forces struck again, for the third time. “The repeated strikes during evacuation and rescue operations clearly demonstrate that the shelling was deliberate and systematic,” the PRCS statement said.

“Despite being clearly marked with the internationally recognized Red Crescent emblem, the building was deliberately tageted by Israeli forces,” the statement reaffirmed. 

The society not only blamed the Israeli military for the attack, but the world for its silence over what is going on in Gaza.

“PRCS holds the international community fully responsible for its continued silence in the face of ongoing violations targeting its personnel, facilitirs, and ambulances, despite the emblem’s clear proitection under law,” the PRCS statement said.

The Red Crescent worker killed on Saturday night, named as Omar Isleem, was the 51st staff member or volunteer killed since the Israeli attacks began on 7 October 2023, following the Hamas-led attacks in Israel on that day.

The International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) condemned the attack on its Red Crescent headquarters. “I am outraged and devastated by the horrific news from Gaza,” IFRC President Kate Forbes said Sunday in a statement.

IFRC Secretary General, Jagan Chapagain, said:  “I am horrified and appalled by news of this attack. I cannot stress enough that humanitarian workers and facilities must be protected. It’s a moral and legal imperative.”  

For almost two years, the PRCS has been providing ambulance services and critical healthcare under relentless and extremely dangerous conditions in Gaza, caring for the many wounded amidst continuous hostilities. With the healthcare system on the brink of collapse and medical resources nearly depleted, PRCS teams remain a lifeline for civilians in desperate need of life-saving support. Any attack on their facilities or personnel is an attack on humanitarian assistance itself, the IFRC statement said. 

This incident is a stark reminder of the dire and unacceptable conditions facing humanitarian workers and civilians in Gaza, the statement added. 

Saturday night’s attack coincides with intensified Israeli operations in Gaza and follows the UN’s warning of “full-blown famine” in the enclave. Human rights groups accuse Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war—a charge Israel denies.

Historical Parallel: “Cast Thy Bread” and the Policy of Starvation
The current humanitarian crisis in Gaza has drawn comparisons to lesser-documented atrocities during the 1948 Nakba, including Operation Cast Thy Bread. Declassified Israeli archives reveal that biological warfare units poisoned water wells in Palestinian villages and bread supplies in Gaza, sickening thousands to force mass displacement. Historians like Benny Morris (The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem) and research by Haaretz (2013) confirm these acts, though they remain excluded from mainstream Israeli narratives.