Gaza War Is World’s ‘Moral Failure’, Red Cross Chief Says

Palestinians inspect a destroyed house following an Israeli air strike in the east of Deir al Balah town, Gaza Strip, 19 December 2023. (EPA)
Palestinians inspect a destroyed house following an Israeli air strike in the east of Deir al Balah town, Gaza Strip, 19 December 2023. (EPA)
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Gaza War Is World’s ‘Moral Failure’, Red Cross Chief Says

Palestinians inspect a destroyed house following an Israeli air strike in the east of Deir al Balah town, Gaza Strip, 19 December 2023. (EPA)
Palestinians inspect a destroyed house following an Israeli air strike in the east of Deir al Balah town, Gaza Strip, 19 December 2023. (EPA)

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Tuesday deplored the conflict in Gaza as a "moral failure" of the international community and urged Israel and Hamas to reach a new deal to halt the fighting.

"I have been speaking of moral failure because every day this continues is a day more where the international community hasn't proven capable of ending such high levels of suffering and this will have an impact on generations not only in Gaza," ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric told journalists in Geneva following trips to the Gaza Strip and Israel.

"There's nothing without an agreement by the two sides, so we urge them to keep negotiating..." she said, referring to the release of Israeli hostages taken to Gaza by Hamas gunmen during their deadly rampage in southern Israel on Oct. 7.

A truce mediated by Qatar and Egypt held for a week at the end of November and brought about the release of 110 hostages in Gaza in exchange for 240 Palestinian women and teenagers from Israeli jails.

Heavy fighting resumed on Dec. 1 and some of the remaining hostages have been declared dead in absentia by Israeli authorities.

Although the ICRC facilitated the release of hostages during the truce, the group has been criticized by some Israelis for not doing more to free others and provide them with medical care. Some social media users have equated it to a taxi service to drive hostages out of Gaza.

"You don't just go there and take the hostages and bring them out," Spoljaric said, saying that any analogy with an Uber or taxi service was "unacceptable and outrageous."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to confirm last week that new negotiations were under way to recover hostages still held by Hamas, after a source said Israel's intelligence chief met the prime minister of Qatar.

"We continue to talk to all sides to then be ready to operationalize the agreement that they reach," Spoljaric said.

"What is clear is that at the current level of hostilities, a meaningful humanitarian response remains extremely difficult, if not impossible," she said.

Her remarks come as the 160-year-old Swiss-based ICRC releases a new four-year strategy after narrowly avoiding a liquidity crisis this year amid surging humanitarian needs.

The organization is cutting around 4,000 posts this year and next to reduce costs, Spoljaric said, but remained committed to its core role as an impartial go-between for warring parties.

Under the new strategy, spending will rise in 2024 in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Haiti due to growing violence there, but fall in Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan and South Sudan, a spokesperson said.



Spanish Foreign Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Syria Must End Violence Permanently

Attendees pose for the official group photo at the IX Conference on Syria, on the occasion of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union (EU) in Brussels, Belgium, 17 March 2025. (EPA)
Attendees pose for the official group photo at the IX Conference on Syria, on the occasion of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union (EU) in Brussels, Belgium, 17 March 2025. (EPA)
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Spanish Foreign Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Syria Must End Violence Permanently

Attendees pose for the official group photo at the IX Conference on Syria, on the occasion of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union (EU) in Brussels, Belgium, 17 March 2025. (EPA)
Attendees pose for the official group photo at the IX Conference on Syria, on the occasion of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union (EU) in Brussels, Belgium, 17 March 2025. (EPA)

Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told Asharq Al-Awsat ahead of a European Council meeting in Brussels that European foreign ministers assured their Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani that the EU is committed to supporting the interim government to ensure humanitarian aid reaches all Syrians in need.

He confirmed that the EU would announce additional aid amounting to 10 million euros to address the basic needs of Syrian citizens.

Albares emphasized that, in return, there must be a definitive end to violence, respect for the rights of all ethnic and religious minorities, and the protection of women's rights.

Donors at a European Union-led conference on Monday pledged 5.8 billion euros ($6.3 billion) to help Syria's new authorities as they struggle with humanitarian and security problems after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

Moreover, Albares expressed satisfaction with the agreement reached between the transitional government and the Kurds, paving the way for their full integration into Syria’s peaceful future.

Contrary to expectations ahead of the Brussels donors’ conference, the European Union did not reduce its pledges to Syria but instead committed approximately 2.7 billion dollars (2.5 billion euros) for 2025 and 2026.

The majority of this funding will come in the form of direct aid through international agencies and humanitarian organizations, with no involvement from the transitional government.

The latter had insisted on sending a clear message, through Shaibani, rejecting any “foreign agendas” being imposed on Syria, according to sources at the conference.

Discussions at the conference focused on a “comprehensive peaceful transition” and reaching a political solution to ensure a stable future for Syria.

The challenges of poverty, hunger, lack of education, and the deterioration of critical infrastructure, especially in health, education, and banking sectors, were also addressed.

Sources revealed that the US withdrew from the donor group, despite the presence of American organizations and individuals at the conference.

The general atmosphere at the conference was described as positive and calm, with efforts focused on pushing the reconstruction process forward in Syria.

However, the aid provided remains minimal, covering less than 1% of Syria’s estimated $350-$400 billion reconstruction needs.