The Guardian: The red uniforms worn by Gaza ambulance workers should have protected them, not become their shroud
The Guardian, published an article by the CEO and Secretary-General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Jagan Chapagain, commenting on the killing of 15 paramedics and humanitarian workers by Israeli fire in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.
“I am angry, but I am also tired of being angry… Humanitarian aid workers must be protected, for the sake of humanity… quite simply,” Chapagain writes in his article titled “Our aid workers were brutally murdered and dumped in a mass grave in Gaza… This must never happen again”.
Chapagain asks, which was more horrific?
The agonizing week-long wait—the silence that followed the disappearance of our colleagues?
Or the confirmation that the bodies had been found seven days later?
Or the horrific details of how they were found and killed since then?
On March 30, the bodies of the paramedics were found buried in Rafah, in what the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) described as a mass grave.
“Our fallen colleagues were still wearing their Red Crescent vests… While alive, these clothes identified them as humanitarian aid workers and should have protected them. When they died, these red vests became their shrouds”.
The humanitarian official spoke about the seriousness of the situation in the Gaza Strip, saying, “But these men weren’t reckless… They thought their vehicles, which bore the Red Crescent markings, would make it clear who was inside and what their purpose was… They believed in what international humanitarian law meant, that healthcare workers would be protected… They thought that meant they wouldn’t be a target, but they were wrong. Unfortunately, it was a grave mistake”.
Chapagain spoke about the need to protect health and humanitarian workers, but added, “They are being killed in increasing numbers”.
“This number of deaths cannot be allowed to become normal, and we must reject any narrative that death is inevitable or part of the risks of work,” he said.
He called for concrete consequences for those who commit heinous crimes – maliciously or recklessly – against humanitarian workers.
The sole survivor of the attack on the paramedic team, and the Israeli army admits that his first account was inaccurate.
He also called for justice, stressing that independent investigators must be allowed access and provided with full details of what happened in Gaza.
“The dead must be respected by holding the killers accountable,” Chapagain said, adding, “Impunity anywhere breeds impunity everywhere… This is absolutely unacceptable”.
