Red Cross to Asharq Al-Awsat: Israel and Hamas do not allow us to visit detainees
The International Committee of the Red Cross said that since October 7, 2023, the Israeli authorities have suspended visits to Palestinian detainees in its prisons, and at the same time, the Hamas movement has not allowed visits to the hostages it holds until now, which is considered unacceptable. According to Fabrizio Carbone, Regional Director of the Red Cross in the Middle and Near East.
Carbone described the situation in Gaza, about 4 months after the start of the war, as “catastrophic,” in light of the collapse of the health system, the entire energy system and its complete supply to the population.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Carbone warned that the psychological impact of the war on the residents of Gaza, especially children, is one of the most cruel dimensions of this conflict, and they will have to carry it for the coming years and affect generations of Palestinians who have gone through this disastrous moment, as he put it.
Fabrizio Carbone praised the cooperation, which he described as “distinguished,” between the International Red Cross and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, noting that the financial and political support provided by the Kingdom allowed the Red Cross to work in complex areas around the world.
Fabrizio Carbone, Regional Director of the International Committee of the Red Cross for the Near and Middle East (Red Cross)
The Regional Director of the International Committee of the Red Cross stressed that the West Bank and Gaza are occupied territories, and that the Palestinians who live there are protected under the Geneva Conventions, and therefore are entitled to enjoy basic rights and guarantees without discrimination.
In the interview, Carbone also spoke about the challenges facing the Red Cross teams in Gaza, the committee’s position on the lawsuit filed by South Africa in the International Court of Justice, and other files.
The cruelty of the conflict and its psychological dimensions
In his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Carbone said, “The situation in Gaza, after 4 months of intense violence, siege, and limited access to humanitarian aid is catastrophic, because people cannot access basic services.”
He added: “Many people are injured, other than those who were killed. Furthermore, something that is difficult to capture is the psychological impact of this violence – the fear, anxiety and sadness of having to live in your own home to see friends and family members killed and injured. This represents a state of burden for all people in Gaza (…) Imagine living in constant fear of being at the wrong time or place and being harmed, injured or killed.”
Carbone expressed his belief that “the most devastating aspect of the psychological impact of war is people’s fear for their children, and this is perhaps one of the most cruel dimensions of this conflict, and the fear of parents and their inability to protect their children, and this is something that we will have to carry for the coming years, and it will have an impact on generations.” “From the Palestinian people who went through this catastrophic moment.”
Collapse of the health system and the entire energy system
Fabrizio said that despite the destruction of infrastructure, the lack of security and safety prevented people from accessing hospitals, schools and protected shelters.
The international official spoke of severe damage to the infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, and said: “It is not the health system that is collapsing, but rather the entire energy system, the complete energy supply, and the provision of water to the people. All this was damaged. The situation is truly alarming and intolerable, and when we look at the state of the infrastructure, it is difficult to imagine how this conflict with such a level of intensity and violence can continue without taking more seriously the situation of the civilian population in Gaza. Therefore, I call on all parties to respect the population and spare them this unacceptable level of violence.”
Carbone praised the courage and resilience of health workers in Gaza, who “have been working for 4 months in a very difficult situation, doing real work and paying a heavy price for it.”
A distinguished partnership with Saudi Arabia
The Regional Director of the Red Cross in the Middle East explained that the International Committee has a distinguished partnership with Saudi Arabia, which through the King Salman Relief Center funded part of their work in Gaza, in addition to the partnership in Sudan and many other regions.
Fabrizio highlighted cooperation with Saudi Arabia on developing a common understanding of how to respond to humanitarian situations around the world. He said: “We have had a distinguished dialogue with Saudi Arabia over the past years, and we have received very tangible political support in conflicts and humanitarian issues, which has allowed us to work in complex areas.”
He continued: “When we face difficulties in some countries, we know that we can always involve Saudi Arabia and all its representatives in Riyadh, Geneva, and New York to deal with these issues. We have an important financial partnership, but also the political partnership is more important from my point of view.”
“Our employees are victims of the conflict in Gaza”
Speaking about the challenges facing the International Red Cross teams in Gaza, Carbone pointed out that the first challenge is that Gaza City is a large battlefield that cannot be covered easily, explaining that “our employees are stuck in a place they should not be because of the violence. This threatens their safety and security.” The second challenge in Gaza, according to Fabrizio, is that “our employees are victims of the conflict, displaced and exposed to bombing and lack of fuel, water and food.”
He added: “Gaza is a very difficult environment, and if we do our best and greatly increase what we can do in Gaza, it will never be enough because of the scale of the humanitarian crisis.”
Palestinians displaced by the Israeli bombing of Gaza are cooking in the temporary tent camp in the Al-Mawasi area (AP)
war crimes
In response to a question about whether the killings of civilians in Gaza constitute Israeli war crimes, the Regional Director of the Red Cross in the Middle East responded by saying: “The civilians who are killed, injured and displaced in Gaza, and all intentional and active violence that targets civilians, whether “In Gaza or Israel, and everywhere, it is unacceptable, and we expect all necessary precautions to be taken to avoid civilian casualties.”
He pointed out, “It is not our role to use terms such as war crimes. Rather, that is up to international institutions. As far as we are concerned, we are conducting a bilateral and confidential dialogue with all parties to the conflict, and we call on them to respect the basic principles of international humanitarian law.”
Commenting on the proceedings in the International Court of Justice regarding Israeli crimes in Gaza, Fabrizio reiterated that it is not the role of the Red Cross to comment on such questions. He said: “We focus on violating international law and the consequences for people, and we raise these topics in our dialogue.” Confidential agreement with the parties to the conflict, and we reiterate that the West Bank and Gaza are located within the occupied territories. Palestinians living in these areas are protected under the Geneva Conventions and are therefore entitled to enjoy basic rights and guarantees without discrimination.”
At the same time, Carbone stressed that “international law prohibits any form of discrimination on the basis of colour, race, language, nationality, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, wealth or both, or any other similar criteria.” .
He warned that “whatever the reason you are fighting for, the borders you are fighting for do not allow you or the parties to the conflict to do what they want.”
Hostage exchange efforts
Regarding the latest efforts to exchange prisoners and detainees between Hamas and Israel, Fabrizio said: “We are not part of any dialogue between the two parties to reach an agreement and allow the release of hostages and detainees. These are political negotiations in which we do not participate. We are engaging in the humanitarian dimensions after the agreement, and ensuring that Implementing what was agreed upon, and this is what we did in the past, and we are ready to do it in the future, but today as far as I am concerned, I unfortunately do not have any information from anyone, and we hope that the parties will soon reach an agreement.”
Girls carrying food containers from a temporary camp in Rafah, near the border with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip (AFP)
Preventing the Red Cross from visiting detainees
Fabrizio Carbone spoke about the committee’s long history of visiting Palestinians detained by Israel, and said: “We not only visit, but also facilitate family visits, and if we take the first six months of 2023, more than 29,000 visits from family members were facilitated, and we transferred those who “They can visit family, which is important work.”
But he added, saying: “Starting on October 7, the Israeli authorities took a decision to suspend visits through the International Red Cross. We regret that and we continue to talk to those concerned to resume these visits. It is also sad that Hamas did not allow us to visit its hostages, and in both cases… “In both cases, it is completely unacceptable, and we hope that we will be able to reach those people as soon as possible.”
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2024-01-24 06:54:32
