ICRC head fears Middle East violence spiralling out of control

The violence in Gaza continues unabated Keystone

The Swiss President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, fears an uncontrollable crisis in the Middle East.

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Spoljaric Egger told the Tages-Anzeiger that she is deeply concerned about the recent escalation. The Middle East is currently experiencing a dangerously accelerating overlap of devastating conflicts.

“A further expansion of military operations carries the risk of triggering a crisis that the world cannot control,” she said.

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There are no words to describe the situation in Gaza. “Gaza is a failure of humanity – beyond anything that would be legally and morally acceptable.” Since her last visit to the Gaza Strip in January, the situation has worsened.

When asked whether the Swiss government was doing enough, the ICRC President replied: “No-one can make excuses. All states have ratified the Geneva Convention.”

Intolerable situation

“I urge all states to fully utilize their political and economic power to de-escalate the situation in Gaza.”

When asked about the consequences of the emergence of new actors in humanitarian aid, replacing the UN agency UNRWA, Spoljaric Egger replied: “We at the ICRC provide humanitarian aid according to clearly defined criteria: independent, impartial, neutral, and needs oriented.”

The Red Cross makes no distinction when someone is admitted to the hospital. “What we are experiencing in Gaza is an instrumentalisation of humanitarian aid through every possible channel, using every possible means, by all parties involved. I cannot tolerate that.”

Pressure on humanitarian aid is increasing not only in Washington, but also in Switzerland. As a taxpayer, Spoljaric Egger can understand this. However, there is only one way to reduce these costs: the pressure for effective peace efforts must be increased. “If we reduce the number of conflicts, we reduce humanitarian costs.”

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

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