Palestine Red Crescent president demands independent probe into Israeli crimes in Gaza

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - The president of the Palestine Red Crescent Society called Thursday for an independent investigation into Israeli crimes in the Gaza Strip and for holding those responsible accountable.

Younis Al-Khatib's remarks came during his speech at a session to discuss the escalating Israeli aggression against Palestinians before the UN Security Council in New York

Al-Khatib underlined the need to provide protection for humanitarian workers in Gaza, warning of the complete collapse of the humanitarian system in the besieged enclave.

He also demanded that the Israeli military provide information about one of the members of the Red Crescent team who went missing in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah in southern Gaza.

He reiterated that the Israeli siege on Gaza violates international humanitarian law, calling for immediate aid to be sent to Gaza and for the opening of the border crossings.

Al-Khatib pointed out that the Palestine Red Crescent has lost 30 of its staff members in Gaza, including eight in the incident in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood.

On March 23, the Palestine Red Crescent announced that it had sent four ambulances with their teams to rescue the injured from an Israeli attack in Rafah. They disappeared after coming under attack from Israeli forces.

After being obstructed by Israel, international teams were finally able to enter the area where the medics disappeared and found their bodies.

More than 50,400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in Israel's military onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.​​​​​​​

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.