International

Reports: Red Cross Says Gaza Embargo Illegal

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has described Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip as a violation of the Geneva Conventions and called on the Israeli government to lift the embargo, said media reports Monday.

According to the Al Jazeera website, An ICRC statement issued Monday termed the blockade a “collective punishment” and a crime under international law.

“The closure imposed on the Gaza Strip is about to enter its fourth year, choking off any real possibility of economic development,” the ICRC said.

“Gazans continue to suffer from unemployment, poverty and warfare, while the quality of Gaza’s health care system has reached an all-time low.”

Though, Israeli officials insist that sufficient “humanitarian aid” is provided to cover Gaza’s basic needs, the ICRC has said the list of goods allowed into Gaza fall short of the needs of the territory’s 1.5 million residents.

Amr Moussa, the secretary-general of the Arab League, Sunday called for an end to the blockade.

The ICRC also criticised Hamas, the Islamic movement which controls Gaza, for preventing it from visiting Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier captured in 2006. Shalit is entitled to visits from the Red Cross under international law.

(Based on internet reports)

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