Independent probe into Israeli killing of medics, rescuers in Gaza is 'minimum' demand: Palestine Red Crescent chief

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The president of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Younes Al-Khatib, told the UN Security Council on Thursday that an independent investigation into the killings of Palestinian medics and aid workers in Gaza by Israeli forces is the "minimum" demand to ensure accountability.

"Many council members have called for a thorough and independent investigation. We reiterate this call and believe this is the minimum the Security Council and the international community should demand," Al-Khatib said at the Council session requested by Algeria and backed by China, Pakistan, Russia, and Somalia.

He urged the council to take urgent action to protect humanitarian workers in Gaza and emphasized that "we cannot but echo that important message and emphasize the critical need for the Security Council to do all it can to protect those selfless volunteers and staff whose main mission is to save lives during the darkest times of conflict and human suffering."

Addressing the council, he condemned the "appalling records" broken by Israel in the ongoing war in Gaza, highlighting "the most number of aid workers killed in any single conflict, the number of children killed, the number of attacks on health workers and facilities, and the extent of destruction of civilian infrastructure and homes."

He urged the council to enforce international humanitarian law, ensure the protection of aid workers, and push for an immediate ceasefire and the resumption of aid delivery.

Saying that the souls of those killed in the attacks are demanding justice, Al-Khatib ended his speech by asking Security Council members, "Can you hear them?"

The Palestine Red Crescent Society announced Sunday the shocking discovery of 14 bodies following the Israeli attack. The victims included eight Red Crescent workers, five Civil Defense personnel, and a UN agency staff member.

It came days after the Palestinian Civil Defense said it had recovered the body of a team member killed by Israeli forces, bringing the total number of deaths from the attack to 15.

More than 50,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza since the war began.