Palestine Red Crescent Society

History

The Red Crescent first established its presence in Palestine in 1910, with the opening of its session in Jerusalem. On 26 December 1968, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) was formally established to address the healthcare needs of Palestinians. On 1 September 1969, the PRCS gained recognition as a National Society with legal status during the sixth session of the Palestinian National Council held in Cairo. Since then, PRCS has played a significant role in the Palestinian territories, offering healthcare and social services. It has a workforce consisting of tens of thousands of Palestinian, Arab, and foreign employees and volunteers.

In June 2006, the Palestine Red Crescent Society was granted full membership status in the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, following a decision made during the 29th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. In the early-2020s during the Gaza war, the Red Crescent described being targeted by Israeli military attacks, resulting in the deaths of more than two dozen of their staff members.

On 23 March 2025, Israeli forces attacked a Palestine Red Crescent Society ambulance team which was on duty in Rafah, killing at least eight of the ambulance workers. One more worker remains missing as of 30 March. The Israeli military said on 29 March that those killed were a Hamas operative and "eight other terrorists". Eight bodies of the ambulance workers were retrieved on 30 March, "after seven days of silence and having access denied to the area of Rafah where they were last seen", said the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which also said that the ambulance team "wore emblems that should have protected them; their ambulances were clearly marked". Israeli forces had buried the bodies in a mass grave and had buried their vehicles nearby.

Ambulance services

Following a 1996 mandate by the then PLO leader Yasser Arafat, the PRCS provides the majority of emergency medical and relief services in the territories, including ambulance services. Ambulance services are provided by 41 stations and substations, 22 mobile field posts, 122 ambulances, 346 emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and over 500 volunteers.

1996 also saw the foundation of the Emergency Medical Institute, which trains staff and EMTs in accordance with international standards. Furthermore, the PRCS has been instrumental in the establishment of the national emergency number (101).

Special problems

Ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians have complicated the delivery of medical services.[[File:Al-QudsHospitalFollowingIsraeliShelling.jpg|thumb|Destroyed ambulance in the city of [[Shuja'iyya]] in the [[Gaza Strip]] after Israeli shelling of the [[Al-Quds Hospital]]|left]]

Israeli authorities have required Palestinian ambulances to undergo thorough searches when passing through checkpoints. According to Israeli sources, this policy is the result of Palestinian organizations using ambulances to transport terrorists and armaments during the Second Intifada, making it necessary to inspect Palestinian ambulances regardless of the seriousness of the patient's condition. Israel made similar claims during the 2008–2009 Gaza War; however, Amnesty International denies that Hamas had systematically used medical facilities, vehicles and uniforms as a cover, stating that no evidence had been provided proving such actions. Further, Magen David Adom's submission to the UN Mission investigating the war stated that, "there was no use of PRCS ambulances for the transport of weapons or ammunition ... [and] there was no misuse of the emblem by PRCS." However this policy results in delayed patient care and resulting in significant negative outcomes. For example, between the years 2000 and 2007, it was estimated that 16% of pregnant women had to wait at checkpoints for periods exceeding two hours, resulting in 68 women giving birth at checkpoints, 35 instances of miscarriage, and 5 maternal deaths in a seven-year period.{{Cite web|url=https://www.unfpa.org/news/checkpoints-compound-risks-childbirth-palestinian-women|title=Checkpoints Compound the Risks of Childbirth for Palestinian Women|website=United Nations Population Fund |date= 15 May 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109172933/https://www.unfpa.org/news/checkpoints-compound-risks-childbirth-palestinian-women |archive-date=9 November 2023}}

According to the PRCS, Israeli Defense Force personnel on the ground and in aircraft have deliberately targeted Palestinian ambulances, and prevented or impeded them from carrying out their duties, in violation of international humanitarian law. In 2003, for example, the PRCS reported that seven staff members were injured and 12 ambulances were damaged in attacks by Israeli settlers and the IDF, and PRCS ambulances were denied or delayed access to areas on 584 different occasions.

References

References

1. (2005). "Fathi Arafat". BMJ: British Medical Journal.
2. "Dr.Younis Al Khatib President of the Palestine Red Crescent Society "I am not a Target"".
3. "About PRCS".
4. "contact us".
5. (2 December 2004). "Fathi Arafat, P.L.O. Leader's Brother, Dies at 67". The New York Times.
6. "Red Crescent staff death toll rises to 29".
7. (30 March 2025). "Red Cross outraged over killing of eight medics in Gaza". BBC News.
8. "Emergency Medical Services".
9. World Health Organization Fifty-sixth World Health Assembly A56/INF.DOC./6 Provisional agenda item 19 16 May 2003 14. According to the Israeli Ministry of Health, "There have been several proven cases of misuse of Palestinian ambulances to transport ammunition or explosive belts or to transfer terrorists."[http://apps.who.int/gb/archive/pdf_files/WHA56/ea56id6.pdf] {{Webarchive. link. (21 June 2011)
10. "Palestinian Misuse of Medical Services and Ambulances for Terrorist Activities". mfa.gov.il.
11. World Health Organization Fifty-sixth World Health Assembly A56/INF.DOC./6 Provisional agenda item 19 16 May 2003 #35. According to the Israeli Ministry of Health, "The Red Crescent closely cooperated with the MDA until April 2002. At that time, the IDF found that Red Crescent ambulances were being used to carry terrorists. The Red Crescent personnel involved in this violation were interrogated".
12. (2012-07-10). "Hezbollah and Hamas: A Comparative Study". JHU Press.
13. Levitt, Matthew. (2007). "Hamas: Politics, Charity, and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad". Yale University Press.
14. (2009-02-02). "Amnesty accuses Israel of reckless use of weapons". JPost.
15. "Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, 2009, p. 144.".
16. "Archived copy".
17. (2005). "The Israeli-Palestinian war: escalating to nowherefirst1=Anthony H.". Greenwood Publishing Group.