Palestinian Red Crescent urges action as 9 medical workers go missing in Rafah
Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances in Khan Younis. (AFP Photo)
The Palestinian Red Crescent has announced that nine of its medical workers in the Israeli-besieged area of Rafah, southern Gaza, have been unaccounted for.
In a statement, the organization highlighted the dire situation of its ambulance teams operating in the area under Israeli siege. For the past five consecutive days, there has been no contact with these medical workers, raising serious concerns about their safety.
“The Palestinian Red Crescent is deeply concerned for the safety of its teams and holds the occupying Israeli forces responsible for their fate,” the statement read.
Calls for international action
The statement urged the international community to take immediate action to allow rescue teams to reach the Tel al-Sultan area of Rafah, where the missing workers were last located. Additionally, it called for international protection for Palestinian Red Crescent personnel carrying out humanitarian missions across the Gaza Strip.
Previous reports of attacks on medical teams
On March 23, the Palestinian Red Crescent initially reported that four ambulances dispatched to evacuate the wounded had been surrounded by Israeli forces, with some medical personnel injured in the attacks.
On the same day, the Palestinian Civil Defense organization also confirmed that contact had been lost with another rescue team sent to western Rafah.
