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The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned that a mass evacuation of Gaza City could never be carried out safely or with dignity, given the ongoing humanitarian crisis, ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said Saturday.
Spoljaric said such an evacuation would trigger a massive population movement that no part of the Gaza Strip could accommodate, citing widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and severe shortages of food, water, shelter and medical care.
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“The order would be imposed on civilians who are already traumatized by months of fighting and terrified by what could come next,” Spoljaric said.
“Many are unable to comply with evacuation orders because they are starving, sick, injured, or suffering from physical disabilities.”
She stressed that international humanitarian law (IHL) protects all civilians, whether they leave or remain, and that people must be allowed to return home.
IHL requires that when evacuation orders are issued, Israel must ensure satisfactory conditions of shelter, hygiene, health, safety, and nutrition and prevent family separation.
“These conditions cannot currently be met in Gaza,” she said.
Spoljaric also called for the immediate flow of humanitarian aid at a scale sufficient to meet needs, the release of all hostages by Hamas, and a ceasefire, warning that any escalation would cause more death, destruction, and displacement.
The ICRC is a neutral, impartial, and independent humanitarian organization created under the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
It operates worldwide to protect lives, relieve suffering, and safeguard the dignity of people affected by armed conflict and other violence, often in coordination with Red Cross and Red Crescent partners.
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