Red Cross urges de-escalation, protection of civilians in Middle East

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Tuesday "urgently" called for de-escalation and the protection of civilian lives in the Middle East amid recent tensions.

"A surge in attacks across parts of the Middle East is inflicting yet more suffering on civilians and raising fears of wider regional conflict with devastating humanitarian consequences," the ICRC said in a statement.

A wave of deadly strikes has hit Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, southern Lebanon and Yemen, and hostilities continue to shatter lives in Gaza, leading to near-daily reports of civilian casualties, it said, adding: "These horrific and painful events must be a call to action to prioritize the protection of civilian lives during armed conflict."

"We are gravely concerned by the growing threat of further, widespread conflict across the region and we urge all parties and the wider international community to de-escalate tensions as a matter of urgency," said Eloi Fillion, ICRC's acting regional director for the Near and Middle East.

Fillion urged all parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, as well as to take concrete steps to limit the impact of hostilities on civilians.

He also called on the international community to do everything possible to prevent "these alarming cycles of violence from spiraling into an all-out regional conflict."