8 Palestine Red Crescent medics killed in Gaza

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on Sunday expressed strong indignation over the killing of eight medics from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) while on duty in Gaza, reported Xinhua.

According to an IFRC statement, an emergency medical team of nine went missing along with their ambulances after coming under heavy fire in the Al-Hashashin area of Rafah, in southern Gaza, on March 23. On Sunday, the bodies of eight medics were retrieved, while one remains missing.

IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain stated that the medics were engaged in rescue efforts when the attack was launched. They were operating clearly marked ambulances and wearing emblems that should have protected them.

Chapagain urged all parties to the conflict to abide by international humanitarian law and ensure the safety of humanitarian workers. He further noted that since the outbreak of the conflict, a total of 30 PRCS volunteers and staff members have lost their lives.

Meanwhile, at least 14 bodies, mainly of rescuers, have been recovered in southern Gaza's Rafah, a week after some rescuers were reportedly missing following heavy Israeli gunfire, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said Sunday.

According to a PRCS statement, eight of these victims were identified as the agency's emergency medical technicians, with the remaining including five Civil Defense members and one UN employee.

"Efforts are still ongoing to search for additional bodies," the statement added.

In a separate statement on Sunday, the PRCS expressed "shock" over the Israeli targeting and killing of its members, who were at that time carrying out humanitarian work in Rafah.

"They were responding to an emergency call to assist the wounded following Israeli airstrikes on the Al-Hashashin area of Rafah," it said, adding that a ninth member remains missing and is believed to have been detained.

The Palestinian death toll since Israel renewed its strikes across the Gaza Strip on March 18 has exceeded 920, with over 2,000 injuries, according to Gaza-based health authorities.