Civil Defense spokesman in the Gaza Strip, Mahmoud Basal, said that the Israeli raid that targeted the tents of displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, led to the death and injury of a large number of Palestinians, pointing out that the targeting affected civil defense crews who work under extremely difficult conditions. .

Dozens of Palestinians were killed after the Israeli occupation forces targeted displaced persons’ tents in the Al-Mawasi area, which the occupation had previously classified as “safe.” Among the victims were members of the Civil Defense Forces.

Basal pointed out that the civil defense crews were targeted again while they were heading to a building to rescue the injured, which led to the martyrdom of a civil defense member and the injury of 8 others, bringing the number of deaths from civil defense to 76 since the beginning of the war.

He stressed that the occupation is deliberately targeting the crews, despite the clear coding of the civil defense vehicles, which constitutes a flagrant violation of international and humanitarian law, pointing out that the crews are working in very difficult conditions in the Al-Mawasi area, where they are trying to search for missing persons and recover bodies from holes and rubble.

Constant appeals

Basal pointed out that the lack of fuel and equipment hindered the work of the crews, as they were forced to work on foot to rescue the bodies and the injured, stressing that providing fuel and capabilities reduces the number of martyrs, and that the current situation exceeds the ability of the crews to deal with it.

The Civil Defense spokesman stated that there are still appeals from injured citizens in different areas, but the occupation’s refusal to coordinate prevents them from being rescued, as crews are unable to reach them for fear of being targeted, as happened in previous times.

But at the same time, he pointed out that crews are targeted even in rare cases in which there was coordination, pointing to some of those previous cases, including the killing of two Red Crescent crews in the massacre of the family of the child Hind Rajab.

The Civil Defense spokesman in the Gaza Strip called on the Red Cross to take a clear position on what the Israeli occupation army is committing and to put pressure on it to respond to citizens’ calls and rescue the injured before it is too late.

In the context of his talk about the possibility of Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip being out of service, Basal stressed that this makes the situation more difficult, as hospitals cannot handle the large number of injured people and provide oxygen to patients.

He called for the need for the international community to be aware of the magnitude of the tragedy that the Gaza Strip is suffering and to work to provide the necessary support to save lives, stressing that civil defense crews are making tremendous efforts under impossible circumstances to preserve the lives of citizens and reduce the number of martyrs.

He explained that the occupation refuses to coordinate with the crews, which increases the difficulty of work and leads to the death of injured people waiting for help, criticizing the Red Cross for not fulfilling its role in coordinating with the occupation, which exacerbates the suffering of citizens.