Red Cross shuts down Gaza City operations, citing Israeli ‘escalating hostilities’

Gazans leave Gaza City on 28 September 2025

Linda Dayan reports in Haaretz on 1 October 2025:

The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Wednesday that it has been forced to temporarily suspend operations in Gaza City and relocate staff due to military escalation.

“In Gaza City today, civilians are being killed, forcibly displaced and made to endure dire conditions,” the organization said. It added that first responders, including the Palestine Red Crescent Society and Civil Defence, “have been working relentlessly to provide relief but their movement and ability to safely reach the civilian population has been severely constrained.”

The ICRC said its teams stayed in Gaza City “as long as they possibly could” and remain committed to returning as soon as conditions allow. “Israel, as the occupying power, has an obligation to ensure their basic needs are met,” the statement said, adding that medical personnel, transport units, and civil defense personnel “must be respected and protected.”

“The ICRC will continue to strive to provide support to civilians in Gaza City, whenever circumstances allow, from our offices in Deir al-Balah and Rafah, which remain fully operational,” it added.

The Israeli military continues its operations to take control of the city. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the army is completing the takeover of the Netzarim route, a key corridor linking Gaza City to southern areas, warning that anyone leaving the city southward will have to pass through military checkpoints.

“This is the last opportunity for residents of Gaza who wish to move south,” Katz said in a statement distributed to the media.

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