TEHRAN –The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) held on Thursday an international congress on the occupation of Palestine in light of international law, and the violation of human rights in Gaza.

Some 900 individuals participated in person and some 40,000 took part online from 21 countries.

In the opening ceremony, Pir-Hossein Kolivand, the head of IRCS, said that some 7,500 citizens in Gaza have no access to medical facilities, the IRCS website reported.

Only 25 percent of the supplies and relief aid crosses into Gaza from Egypt, with the rest going bad due to long waits, he added.

Kolivand went on to stress the need to urgently provide medical, and relief aid to meet the needs of the wounded Gazan people or to transfer them to neighboring countries to be treated.

Over the past five months, a total of 24,000 babies were born in Gaza, while mothers and their newly born babies have limited access to medical care and hygiene, he further noted. 

Protecting human rights in Gaza

On February 13, Kolivand urged the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to take effective measures to protect human rights in Gaza.

“Unfortunately, we are witnessing the worst humanitarian crisis that has resulted in death, injury, and displacement of many people, especially women, and children, as the most vulnerable group of society as Israeli forces continue the large-scale attacks against civilians in the Gaza Strip,” Kolivand wrote in separate letters to Kate Forbes, the president ICRC, and Mirjana Spoljaric, the president of the IFRC.

“News about the Israeli occupation forces deliberately targeting hospitals, Red Crescent centers, ambulances, healthcare staff, and Red Crescent relief teams in Gaza is unbelievable and disturbing.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society calls for an urgent solution to end the siege, to open safe routes to help people in need, to protect the medical staff, and to rescue civilians and those injured.

We believe that the International Committee of the Red Cross should protect international humanitarian law as its guardian and take immediate and operational action in support of civilians, and medical and health personnel.

Condemning the Israeli military attacks on the hospitals, Red Crescent centers, healthcare staff, and relief teams of the Red Crescent in Gaza, the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran urges international communities to uphold their commitments based on the International Humanitarian Law in accordance with four Geneva Conventions and other agreements.

Establishing a joint fund

On January 21, the IRCS suggested setting up a joint fund with other countries to provide aid to people in Gaza. He made the remarks in an address to the International Humanitarian Conference to Support Palestine which was held in Tehran.

Referring to the crimes committed by the Zionists in the Gaza Strip in the last one hundred days, he stated that the activities of the international organizations have become ineffective due to the barriers made by the Zionist regime. “If we fail to do something to help, history will judge us,” IRNA reported.

Exploring possible avenues to provide humanitarian aid, using humanitarian diplomacy to stop the war permanently, creating a joint financial fund, and declaring crimes against the Zionist regime were among the axes of the conference.

MT/MG