The world must scale up efforts to alleviate the human suffering in Gaza, building on the momentum from the ceasefire’s first phase, the head of the Red Cross said Friday. “States must harness the momentum generated by the first phase of the agreement between Israel and Hamas to urgently improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza,” Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said in a statement. “Many people in Gaza are still living in the rubble without basic services, struggling to stay warm amid harsh winter conditions,” the ICRC chief said. “All states and parties to conflict have a responsibility to ensure the boundaries and protections enshrined in international humanitarian law are upheld,” said Spoljaric. “This is essential for saving lives, restoring human dignity and laying the foundations on which lasting peace can be built.”
