Speech delivered by Régis Savioz of the International Committee of the Red Cross at the Cairo Ministerial Conference to Enhance the Humanitarian Response to Gaza, 2 December 2024

Mr. President, dear ministers, colleagues,

The ICRC would like to thank Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for organizing this conference. We hope to reach the urgent objective of enhancing the Humanitarian Response in Gaza. 

Killed in line of duty

On 4 December 2024, the Movement lost Alaa Al-Derawi, a staff member of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) was shot and killed on a return trip after successfully transferring a patient from the field hospital to the European Gaza Hospital. Alaa recently started working closely with the Red Cross Field Hospital as a PRCS Emergency Medical Service paramedic. Alaa leaves behind his wife, one boy and one girl, in addition to his sister’s family that has depended on him since her husband’s death a few months prior.

With the escalation of violence in Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territory of Gaza and West Bank, including East Jerusalem, there has been a proliferation of dehumanizing language and of false and misleading information about the ICRC and our work in the current conflict. In the face of these real-world consequences, for both people and humanitarian actors, we want to clearly address the main harmful narratives against the ICRC and our staff.

Gaza (ICRC) – Repeated hostilities in and around hospitals have obliterated the health care system in north Gaza, putting civilians at an unacceptably grave risk of going without lifesaving care.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reiterates its urgent call for the respect and protection of medical facilities in line with international humanitarian law. This protection is a legal obligation and a moral imperative to preserve human life.

The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric, confirmed the ICRC’s readiness to help implement the agreement reached by the parties to reunite families across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory and deliver more aid into Gaza. 

In Rafah, over 1.5 million displaced people face a growing health crisis which is putting a significant burden on the healthcare system. In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) which leads the Health Cluster response on the ground, is working with 45 partner organizations to provide critical healthcare services.