The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported on Sunday that it had recovered the bodies of 14 individuals in Rafah, southern Gaza, following an Israeli airstrike a week ago.
The victims include eight medics from the society, five civil defence workers, and a United Nations agency employee.
The society’s rescue teams continue to search for additional remains despite significant challenges posed by ongoing Israeli attacks on medical and humanitarian teams.
Previously, it was reported that nine Red Crescent medics had gone missing for eight consecutive days after being targeted by Israeli forces while providing aid to victims of shelling in the Al-Hashashin area of Rafah.
The organisation condemned the repeated assaults on its personnel, despite the Red Crescent’s emblem being protected under international law. It referred to the attack on its medics as a premeditated crime and a violation of international humanitarian law, which obligates Israeli forces to ensure the safety of medical teams.
The Red Crescent urged the international community to take action against Israel’s violations and hold it accountable for the harm caused to medical workers and Palestinian civilians.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza also called for an immediate investigation into these actions.
Since the outbreak of recent hostilities in October 2023, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 50,000, with most casualties being women and children, and thousands more injured.
