The Irish Red Cross has issued an urgent alert, warning that the Gaza Strip is “on the brink of an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.”
The aid agency which has been providing direct support to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says volunteers in Gaza are operating “under extreme and life-threatening conditions.”
The Palestine Red Crescent Society currently has 1,600 volunteers and staff delivering emergency relief and medical care in Gaza, despite ongoing bombardments by Israel, severe restrictions on aid entry, and critical shortages of fuel, food, and medicine.
The Palestine Red Crescent has said Gaza is just weeks away from a complete collapse of vital services. It said only 12 of 29 medical points, clinics, and hospitals remain operational, all at limited capacity.
It also said shortages include 77 per cent of primary care medicines, 87 per cent of orthopaedic supplies, and 100 per cent of chronic disease medications.
“The situation in Gaza is beyond critical: it is a race against time,” said Irish Red Cross secretary general Deirdre Garvey. “We are seeing complete unavailability of essential medications, a dire food shortage that risks widespread food insecurity and a crippling fuel crisis that has grounded over half of PRCS’s ambulances.”
Palestinians say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on crowds trying to reach food distribution points.
The Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah, operated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, reported its largest mass casualty incident on Monday with 244 cases received, and 172 the day before.
It said they had been shot or injured by explosives at or near aid distribution centres. The hospital was operating at 195 per cent bed occupancy on Tuesday.
The PRCS said more than two million people are now living in inhumane conditions, with many displaced numerous times and sheltering in overcrowded camps or in the open, lacking clean water, food, or sanitation.
It food stocks are fully depleted and other supplies such as tents, blankets, and hygiene kits have run out.
In recent weeks, forced evacuations, intensified attacks on medical missions, and the continued closure of border crossings have sharply increased humanitarian and medical needs. The PRCS estimates that their ability to provide even minimum health services could end within two months.
“Every day without adequate aid means more lives lost, more suffering endured. An entire population is facing starvation and preventable deaths. We must act now and without delay to prevent further unimaginable suffering and loss of life,” said Ms Garvey.
