In the war between Israel and Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called for an immediate de-escalation.
"I am shocked by the intolerable level of human suffering and urge the parties to the conflict to deescalate now," ICRC chief Mirjana Spoljaric said.
She said it was unacceptable that the civilian population in the Gaza Strip had no safe haven in the face of massive bombardments by the Israeli air force. Adequate humanitarian aid is currently not possible, Spoljaric said in the statement released late on Saturday. "This is a catastrophic failing that the world must not tolerate."
According to the Red Cross, thousands of families in Gaza are forced to sleep in makeshift shelters or in the open, with little food and water. The statement said hospitals that were still functioning were "on the verge of collapse" as they run out of supplies to care for the many sick and injured.
Most of the sewage treatment plants are no longer in operation. The ICRC said health care, water and electricity had to be restored immediately to save lives.
