ICRC Chief Urges Israel, Palestinians to End Cycle of Violence

Palestinians gather around the ruins of buildings which were destroyed in Israeli air strikes amid a flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian violence, in the northern Gaza Strip May 13, 2021. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
Palestinians gather around the ruins of buildings which were destroyed in Israeli air strikes amid a flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian violence, in the northern Gaza Strip May 13, 2021. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
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ICRC Chief Urges Israel, Palestinians to End Cycle of Violence

Palestinians gather around the ruins of buildings which were destroyed in Israeli air strikes amid a flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian violence, in the northern Gaza Strip May 13, 2021. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
Palestinians gather around the ruins of buildings which were destroyed in Israeli air strikes amid a flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian violence, in the northern Gaza Strip May 13, 2021. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) urged Israel and the Palestinians on Wednesday to find a political solution so violence like last month's hostilities over the Gaza Strip border might be prevented.

On his first visit to Gaza in four years, Robert Mardini toured areas devastated by Israeli bombardments during the 11 days of fighting, including a road where 42 people were killed.

"It is really heart-breaking to see and to hear about the people who paid the ultimate cost of this escalation - women, children, civilians who were living safely in their apartments and were caught in this rubble that we see behind us," he told Reuters.

"I hope this is the last time I am coming to witness yet again the results and the humanitarian impact of yet again another cycle of violence and escalation."

Gaza medical officials said Israeli airstrikes killed 253 Palestinians. Rockets and missiles fired by Palestinian factions killed 13 people in Israel.

"What is really needed is political leadership on all sides to avoid that people yet again are in the line of fire because of yet again another round of escalation," Mardini said.

"Political leadership to find a sustainable solution that is more sustainable than what we have been witnessing over the past decade and more."

Asked whether he would discuss the prospects of a new prisoners' swap deal while the region, Mardini said the ICRC stood ready to help the parties should there be a deal.

"We have repeatedly offered our services as a neutral intermediary, so we will be renewing this offer yet again," he said.

Standing by the rubble of the houses of Kolak family, which lost 22 members in Israeli airstrikes, Mardini spoke to some survivors.

"My grandfather died, my father died, his (father's) son died, his grandchild died, a dynasty was martyred," said Wasim Al-Kolak, 31, urging international prosecution of Israel.



At Least 34 People Killed in Israeli Strikes in Gaza

Palestinians carry the bodies of people killed during overnight Israeli strikes, at Al-Shifa hospital in the central Gaza Strip on June 28, 2025. (by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Palestinians carry the bodies of people killed during overnight Israeli strikes, at Al-Shifa hospital in the central Gaza Strip on June 28, 2025. (by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
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At Least 34 People Killed in Israeli Strikes in Gaza

Palestinians carry the bodies of people killed during overnight Israeli strikes, at Al-Shifa hospital in the central Gaza Strip on June 28, 2025. (by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Palestinians carry the bodies of people killed during overnight Israeli strikes, at Al-Shifa hospital in the central Gaza Strip on June 28, 2025. (by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

At least 34 people were killed across Gaza by Israeli strikes, health staff say, as Palestinians face a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ceasefire prospects inch closer.

The strikes began late Friday and continued into Saturday morning, among others killing 12 people at the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, which was sheltering displaced people, and eight more living in apartments, according to staff at Shifa hospital where the bodies were brought. Six others were killed in southern Gaza when a strike hit their tent in Muwasi, according to the hospital, The Associated Press reported.

The strikes come as US President Donald Trump says there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week. Taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office Friday, the president said, “we’re working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of.”

An official with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that Israel's Minister for Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, will arrive in Washington next week for talks on Gaza's ceasefire, Iran and other subjects. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Talks have been on again off again since Israel broke the latest ceasefire in March, continuing its military campaign in Gaza and furthering the Strip's dire humanitarian crisis. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, fewer than half of them believed to still be alive. They were part of some 250 hostages taken when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sparking the 21-month-long war.

The war has killed over 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. It says more than half of the dead were women and children.

There is hope among hostage families that Trump’s involvement in securing the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran might exert more pressure for a deal in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is riding a wave of public support for the Iran war and its achievements, and he could feel he has more space to move toward ending the war in Gaza, something his far-right governing partners oppose.

Hamas has repeatedly said it is prepared to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war in Gaza. Netanyahu says he will only end the war once Hamas is disarmed and exiled, something the group has rejected.

Meanwhile hungry Palestinians are enduring a catastrophic situation in Gaza. After blocking all food for 2 1/2 months, Israel has allowed only a trickle of supplies into the territory since mid-May.

Efforts by the United Nations to distribute the food have been plagued by armed gangs looting trucks and by crowds of desperate people offloading supplies from convoys.

Palestinians have also been shot and wounded while on their way to get food at newly formed aid sites, run by the American and Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to Gaza's health officials and witnesses.

Palestinian witnesses say Israeli troops have opened fire at crowds on the roads heading toward the sites. Israel’s military said it was investigating incidents in which civilians had been harmed while approaching the sites.