IDF says it’s investigating Red Cross claims strike hit Gaza office, killed 22
Army says it did not target facility, but does not rule out attack; Red Cross doesn’t specify who carried out shelling in area of tent camp as Hamas blames Israel
By EMANUEL FABIAN, FOLLOW
AGENCIES and TOI STAFF
22 June 2024, 4:44 amUpdated at 6:09 pm

The International Committee of the Red Cross said 22 people were killed in a shell attack Friday that damaged its office in the Gaza Strip, which is surrounded by hundreds of displaced persons living in tents.

The ICRC did not say who fired the “heavy caliber projectiles” but in a statement on social media platform X said the shells “damaged the structure of the ICRC office.”

It said 22 bodies and 45 wounded had been taken to a nearby Red Cross field hospital after the shelling, and there were “reports of additional casualties.”

“There was no direct attack carried out by the IDF against a Red Cross facility,” the military said in the statement. But it added that “the incident will be quickly examined and its findings will be presented to our international partners.”

It did not rule out that one of its strikes had erroneously hit the area. Earlier in the day, an army spokesman had said there was “no indication” the attack was launched by the army.

“The IDF makes significant efforts to avoid harming workers, UN facilities and international organizations working in the Gaza Strip,” it said. “The IDF is committed to enabling the activity and safe movement of international organizations.”

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said there were 25 dead and 50 injured in the shelling which it blamed on Israel. The ministry said Israeli shelling had “targeted the tents of the displaced in the Al-Mawasi area” which is around the ICRC base. Its information and figures could not be verified.

“Firing so dangerously close to humanitarian structures, of whose locations the parties to the conflict are aware and which are clearly marked with the Red Cross emblem, puts the lives of civilians and Red Cross staff at risk,” the body added.

“This grave security incident is one of several in recent days,” it added.

“Previously stray bullets have reached ICRC structures. We decry these incidents that put the lives of humanitarians and civilians at risk.”

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell called for a probe into the deadly shelling. “The EU condemns the shelling which damaged the ICRC office in Gaza and led to dozens of casualties. An independent investigation is needed and those responsible must be held accountable,” Borrell wrote on the social media platform X.