GENEVA, Feb 28 — The military escalation in the Middle East is sparking a dangerous chain reaction across the entire region, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross warned Saturday.
ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric called on countries to respect the rules of war and urged them to find the political will to prevent “further death and destruction”.
“The military escalation in the Middle East is igniting a dangerous chain reaction across the region, with potentially devastating consequences for civilians,” Spoljaric said in a statement.
“Upholding the rules of war is an obligation and not a choice. In international armed conflicts, international humanitarian law, in particular all four Geneva Conventions, apply.”
The Geneva-based ICRC acts as the guardians of IHL, the set of rules which seeks to limit the effects of armed conflict. It protects people who are not or are no longer participating in hostilities and restricts the means and methods of warfare.
“Civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, homes and schools must be spared from attack. Medical personnel and first responders must be allowed to carry out their work safely,” Spoljaric said.
She said the ICRC had teams on the ground in Iran, Israel and across the region and stood ready to respond to needs within its mandate and where it could operate.
However, she said, “humanitarian aid cannot match the pace or scale of suffering caused by continuous conflict; political will is needed to achieve peace and prevent further death and destruction.” — AFP
