Israel, Gaza, and the challenge to humanitarianism

The bitter conflict in Gaza has polarised opinions. Aid agencies are caught in the middle.

Fabrizio Carboni, Regional Director of the Near and Middle East division of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): “People tend to believe we can do things that actually we can’t. I mean we have no army, we have no weapons.”

Some say the ICRC hasn’t done enough to help Israeli hostages.

“If we could release them all we would do it as soon as possible. If we could visit them we would visit them. And at the same time it takes place in an environment which is Gaza,” says Carboni.

Other aid agencies have described their shock at the destruction in Gaza.

James Elder, a spokesperson  for UNICEF said: “The level of bombardments, and the deprivation of food and water and medicines, that’s made that situation as desperate as I’ve ever seen.”

This has fuelled anger on the ground.

“I could objectively see that many attacks were indiscriminate, and safe zones had nothing to do with legal or moral safety. Those things created anger,” continues Elder. 

How can aid agencies persuade the warring parties that the only side they take is humanity?

“I care about the families of the people who are taken hostages. I care about the civilians in Israel who regularly have to go in the basement, and I also care about the Palestinians. One does not exclude the other. We're not doing accounting,” concludes Carboni. 

Listen to the latest episode of our Inside Geneva podcast and join host Imogen Foulkes to find out more about the situation in Gaza.

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