24 aid workers killed in Israel-Hamas conflict in 2024: International Red Cross – JURIST

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) lost 24 humanitarian workers in the Israel-Hamas conflict in 2024, according to President Kate Forbes. opinion on Thursday. She called on all states to respect their neutrality and their work in providing humanitarian assistance in war zones and high-risk areas.

In her statement, Kate Forbes reported that two more Palestinian Red Crescent medics had been killed. In total, the IFRC and Red Crescent societies have lost 24 people in the Israel-Hamas conflict – 20 from the Palestinian Red Crescent and four from Magen David Adom, an IFRC member organization. She expressed concern about the killing of humanitarian workers, saying: “Every death in this conflict is one too many. We must protect our staff and volunteers.”

As non-combatants, aid workers are “protected persons” under the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 1977 Additional Protocols. Article 71(2) of Additional Protocol I states that states must respect and protect personnel involved in aid operations. Under the Statute of the International Criminal Court, it is a war crime to attack protected persons, such as personnel involved in a humanitarian aid mission. The UN Security Council has previously called on parties to conflict to respect humanitarian workers. In Resolution 1296, the UN Security Council called on all parties, including non-state parties, to “ensure the safety and freedom of movement” of aid workers.

Since its beginning in October 2023, the current conflict between Israel and Hamas has raised doubts about the legality of both parties’ actions. The latest round of Israeli airstrikes on refugee camps killed 45 people and injured hundreds. On May 24, 2024, the UN Security Council also adopted Resolution 2730 condemning violence against aid workers.