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ICRC UK & Ireland

@icrc-uk.bsky.social
188 followers 195 following 214 posts

We build support for the ICRC's global operations and further understanding of international humanitarian law (IHL).

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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
🤝 Getting aid to people in war zones isn’t just about logistics - it’s about trust. ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric on the enduring power of the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
⚖️ Yesterday at Westminster, ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric addressed MPs, peers, and government officials on the urgent need to uphold the rules of war. In an increasingly volatile world, strengthening respect for international humanitarian law cannot wait.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Hi, I’m Terry Hackett. I lead the ICRC’s work with people deprived of their liberty. Over the next 3 days, I’ll be sharing what our detention work looks like on the ground - how our teams support detainees, what we do, and why it matters. 📸 Me on the far left, in Venezuela.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
📢#ICRCvoices | “Seeing human remains as people – not just bodies – is at the heart of forensics. It’s about protecting someone’s dignity in death.” Irish forensic specialist Niamh Smith speaks about her work in Ukraine in our new ICRC Voices article. www.icrc.org/en/article/i...
icrc.org
ICRC voices: Dignity for the Dead in Ukraine
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
Hi, I’m Niamh, an Irish forensic specialist working in Ukraine with the @icrc.org. For the next 3 days, I'll be posting here about my work, supporting authorities in their dignified management and identification of the deceased. 📸 On the road in Ukraine.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
“What I witnessed is beyond imagination…hospitals have turned into graveyards.” Speaking to BBC Radio 4 Today, our colleague, Hisham, describes some of the scenes he witnessed in Gaza City and the need for civilians still there to be protected. 👇
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International Committee of the Red Cross @icrc.org · 01/10/2025
The intensification of military operations in Gaza City has forced us to temporarily suspend operations at our office there and relocate staff to southern Gaza to ensure safety and operational continuity. We remain committed to returning as soon as conditions allow: ms.spr.ly/63329svlk1
The intensification of military operations in Gaza City has forced us to temporarily suspend operations at our office in Gaza City and relocate staff to ICRC offices in southern Gaza to ensure their safety and operational continuity.   This comes as the tens of thousands still in Gaza City face harrowing humanitarian conditions.   We 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.   Our teams remain committed to returning to Gaza City as soon as conditions allow.   Lives can still be saved today. A cessation of hostilities is imperative and urgent.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
📸 #FromTheArchives | Conflict tears families apart. In difficult times, a simple message from a loved one is enough to spark hope. In this photo from 1995, a woman in Bujumbura, Burundi, receives news from a relative via a Red Cross message.
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International Committee of the Red Cross @icrc.org · 26/09/2025
We remain operational in Gaza City and will continue to provide the desperately needed assistance and protection activities to the most vulnerable people as long as security permits us to do so. Sarah Avrillaud, ICRC head of subdelegation in Gaza, shares 👇🏽
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Yesterday, our colleague Ahmed spoke about being displaced from Gaza City to Deir al-Balah. “This is what it’s like every day for people. Many wake thinking the situation cannot get worse, but it continues to deteriorate,” he said. ➡ In his words: ms.spr.ly/6018sWmi2
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International Committee of the Red Cross @icrc.org · 17/09/2025
When humanitarian workers and volunteers are not protected, the people we serve are the ones who suffer the most. We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian Red Cross Society and their loved ones 👇🏽
Three of our colleagues from the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) were injured while carrying out their lifesaving work in Kherson Region.  Every day, URCS staff and volunteers continue their duties under dangerous conditions. Our thoughts are with them and their loved ones.  International humanitarian law (IHL) is clear: humanitarian workers should be protected, and parties to armed conflicts must take all possible  measures to spare them.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Hi again, Rieke here – I’ve just left Gaza after another rotation at the Red Cross Field Hospital with the @icrc.org. In July, I told you about mass casualties, stray bullets, and shortages of medical supplies. Here's what I saw on the ground.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
"With every limb saved, every smile restored, and every life pulled back from the brink, I remember why I chose this path." Egyptian anesthesiologist Dr. Aktham Al-Farnawani has worked with the ICRC from South Sudan to Nigeria. This is his story. 👇 www.icrc.org/en/article/m...
icrc.org
“The Man from Egypt”: Why I left the comfort of the operating room to work in conflict zones
Egyptian anesthesiologist Dr. Aktham Al-Farnawani recounts his journey from the comfort of advanced hospitals to those functioning in tents in conflict zones.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
“Everybody works together to get these people home to their families. That’s the end goal.” Forensic specialist Niamh Smith spoke to @brykg.bsky.social for @the-independent.com about supporting the repatriation of human remains between Russia and Ukraine. www.independent.co.uk/news/world/e...
independent.co.uk
Inside the agonising task of identifying Ukraine’s thousands of war dead
Bryony Gooch speaks to a forensic specialist about the ongoing work to put names to bodies in Ukraine after Moscow agreed to return thousands of the fallen
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Reposted by ICRC UK & Ireland
International Committee of the Red Cross @icrc.org · 09/09/2025
📍 Yarova, Ukraine | Communities close to the frontline of the Russia-Ukraine international armed conflict continue to face immense loss and suffering. Juan Pedro Schaerer, ICRC head of delegation in Ukraine, shares 👇🏽
The attack in Yarova, Donetsk region, was devastating.  The civilian population should never pay the price of any armed conflict.  Each life lost and every grieving family is a painful reminder of the overwhelming toll of this conflict, and every possible measure must be taken to protect them.  The rules of war must always be upheld by all parties involved.”
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
📸 #FromTheArchives | Different challenges call for different solutions. We do whatever we can to reach affected communities. 1️⃣ A plane lands in Angola, 1985. 2️⃣ A helicopter in rural Pakistan, 2005. 3️⃣ A vehicle fords a river in DRC, 2018. 4️⃣ A boat on the Amazon River, 2021.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
📍 #Syria | Over the last 14 years, the ICRC has registered more than 37,000 cases of missing people. Here are the stories of five families who've lost loved ones; who continue to search, wait, grieve, and hope. www.icrc.org/en/article/s...
icrc.org
Syria: For families of the missing, it is answers, not time, that will heal the pain
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
Yet another rise in the number of missing people in Africa registered with the ICRC due to conflict 💔 But this figure represents just a small fraction of those who have disappeared. A stronger international response is needed. #DayOfTheDisappeared
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
📸 #FromTheArchives | In this photo from 1986, a woman at a refugee camp in Cambodia searches for the name of her missing relative. Behind each missing person is a family living in anguish and uncertainty. And every family deserves an answer. #FamiliesDeserveToKnow
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
#ICRCVoices | In our latest article, Will Carmichael speaks about his work in Syria, detecting and disposing of explosive ordnance. Landmines, IEDs and other munitions litter the country: remnants of more than 14 years of conflict. www.icrc.org/en/article/i...
icrc.org
ICRC voices: Contending with Syria’s deadly legacy of war
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International Committee of the Red Cross @icrc.org · 26/08/2025
📍Gaza | It is unacceptable for a health facility like Nasser Medical Complex to be damaged in a strike and for medical personnel, journalists, patients & first responders to be killed and injured. Medical facilities, civilians, journalists & first responders must be protected.
Nasser Medical Complex (NMC) is one of the last major hospitals still operating in southern Gaza, and provides critical and specialized medical care to thousands of patients in an area where few medical facilities remain amid ongoing hostilities.  For a health facility like NMC to be damaged in a strike on Monday morning, and for medical personnel, journalists, patients and first responders to be killed and injured as a result of this, is unacceptable.   Such strikes cause death and destruction, and jeopardize vital lifelines for patients who have few sanctuaries left. NMC is a referral hospital for the Red Cross Field Hospital and other medical units.   It is crucial to guarantee its continued operation and accessibility for both medical personnel and patients.  We reiterate that under international humanitarian law, medical facilities, civilians, and first responders must be respected and protected. All feasible steps must be taken to support their work and ensure their safety.   We urgently call for the respect and protection of those who play essential roles in safeguarding  life and dignity amidst armed conflict.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
My last day of posts from Syria. Before joining the ICRC, I spent 15 years in the British Army. It sounds odd, but you’re more sheltered in the military: in the ICRC you see how conflict affects civilians. 📸12 y/o Youssef was injured by a piece of ordnance he was playing with.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Will here, back for day 2 of my social media updates. With so much ordnance scattered across Syria, the risks to civilians are huge. Clearing the country will take decades (even then, I’m being optimistic). 📸 My colleague & I disposing of a projectile.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
Hi, I’m Will, weapon contamination (WEC) coordinator in Syria with the @icrc.org. For the next 3 days, I'll post about my work disposing of explosive ordnance in one of the most contaminated countries in the world. 📸 My team and I on disposal duty in rural Damascus
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
📍 #Afghanistan | From January to June, over 100,000 people received care at ICRC-supported physical rehabilitation centres. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of decades of conflict, with many wounded by landmines and explosive remnants of war. ➡ ms.spr.ly/6012spnog
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
#FromTheArchives: For many years, we have helped restore contact between family members separated by conflict, migration, or natural disasters. This photo from 1993 depicts a family being reunited in Croatia.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
🌍 Conflict + climate change = humanitarian disaster People caught in conflict are among the most impacted by climate change. The challenges they face are compounded by violence as well as the changing environment.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
📍 Georgia/South Ossetia | Conflicts in the 1990s and 2008 uprooted and displaced communities, leaving many older people in need of support. 75 y/o Manana lives alone, but is regularly visited by the ICRC who provide food parcels and other essentials. ➡️ ms.spr.ly/6019sRz9z
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
📍 #Afghanistan | 12 y/o Ehsan has cerebral palsy. In 2018, he began treatment at the ICRC physical rehabilitation centre in Kabul and is now enrolled in the centre’s futsal initiative, which uses sports as a pathway to healing. www.icrc.org/en/article/a...
icrc.org
Afghanistan: Futsal for empowering children with disabilities
Launched in 2010, the ICRC’s futsal initiative is focused on the long-term physical rehabilitation and social inclusion of children with disabilities in Afghanistan.
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International Committee of the Red Cross @icrc.org · 25/07/2025
Gaza | The scale of human suffering and the stripping of human dignity have long exceeded every acceptable standard, both legal and moral. This tragedy must end now. Mirjana Spoljaric, ICRC President: ms.spr.ly/63327sGyPt
"There is no excuse for what’s happening in Gaza.

This tragedy must end now, immediately and decisively.

Every political hesitation, every attempt at justification of the horrors being committed under international watch, will forever be judged as a collective failure to preserve humanity in war.”
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
📸 #FromTheArchives: The impact of conflict on civilians is long-lasting. In this photo from 1981, an ICRC staff member fixes a new prosthesis for a 10-year-old boy in Peshawar, Pakistan.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
📍 #Nigeria | 3.7 million+ people face food insecurity in northeast Nigeria, where conflict has displaced families, restricted people's access to farmland and disrupted local food production. ➡ News release: ms.spr.ly/6018sD7yo ➡ Download footage: ms.spr.ly/6019sD7yU
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
Irish physiotherapist Rieke Hayes spent six weeks in #Gaza, facing relentless mass casualty events, stray bullets and shortages of vital equipment. Her harrowing first-hand account reveals the reality of treating patients at the Red Cross Field Hospital. www.icrc.org/en/article/i...
icrc.org
ICRC voices: Life and Death in the Red Cross Field Hospital
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
We are grateful to HM King Charles for a donation towards our work in Israel and the occupied territories, including Gaza. His Majesty is a supporter of the Red Cross and Patron of the British Red Cross. Thank you to @thekingsfund.bsky.social and everyone who supports our work across the world.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Andres Rodriguez Zorro leads our forensic work in Ukraine. Using methods such as DNA testing of human remains, Andres and his colleagues help protect the dignity of the deceased, by identifying them and providing information for grieving families.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
"The more connectivity becomes essential for people affected by conflict, the harsher the consequences of disruptions." ICRC legal adviser Tilman Rodenhäuser discusses the limits international humanitarian law imposes on connectivity disruptions in conflict. blogs.icrc.org/law-and-poli...
blogs.icrc.org
International humanitarian law and connectivity disruptions during armed conflict
ICRC Legal Adviser Tilman Rodenhäuser on the limits that international humanitarian law imposes on connectivity disruptions in armed conflict.
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International Committee of the Red Cross @icrc.org · 10/07/2025
We provide surgical care for weapon-related injuries at two hospitals in South Sudan. Thanks to our support, those surgeries are free for the affected patients. Dr. Shabani is one of our dedicated specialists providing care and playing a key role in their recovery and rehabilitation 👇🏽
"The medical surgeries that the ICRC provides in South Sudan are critical and lifesaving.  Without the surgeries, there would be a lot of complications, including deaths of weapon-wounded patients”.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
"Everywhere in Gaza is the front line." Physiotherapist Rieke Hayes spoke to @irishtimes.com following her six-week deployment to the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah. ⬇ @sorchapollak.bsky.social reports. www.irishtimes.com/world/middle...
irishtimes.com
Irish physiotherapist in Gaza: ‘Nobody is safe, there’s no end in sight’
`You are on the front line because everywhere in Gaza is the front line,’ says Limerick volunteer Rieke Hayes
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
"When you identify the person...[it] dignifies them." - Andres Rodriguez Zorro, forensics coordinator in Ukraine. Forensics teams use multiple methods, including DNA testing, to identify the deceased. Read how. ⬇ www.icrc.org/en/article/u...
icrc.org
Ukraine: DNA and Dignity for the Deceased
After the escalation of armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, supporting forensic institutions is central to the ICRC’s humanitarian response.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
Mass casualty incidents linked to aid distribution sites have overwhelmed Gaza’s health system: a catastrophic situation for civilians. Since 27 May, the Red Cross Field Hospital has treated 2,200+ weapon-wounded people. ⬇ Our colleague, Sarah Davies, spoke to BBC News.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
This morning, an ICRC staff member was wounded by a stray bullet at the Red Cross Field Hospital in Gaza. Such incidents, which we have seen our colleague Rieke speak about over the last three days, are unacceptable. ➡ Rieke's testimony: bsky.app/profile/icrc...
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
Hi, I’m Rieke, a physio from Ireland. I just finished a 6-week deployment to Gaza with the @icrc.org. For the next 3 days, I'll post about my experiences at the Red Cross Field Hospital. 📸 Me & my youngest patient: Malek, a 6-month-old baby who was injured in an explosion.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Last year, as events in Syria led to a change in government, many people released from detention faced new or worsened health conditions & mental health challenges. From Dec 2024 - May 2025, the ICRC ran an emergency programme supporting former detainees. www.icrc.org/en/article/s...
icrc.org
Syria: The ICRC's post-release emergency programme
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
⚖ The 1949 Geneva Conventions were born after two world wars. The reasons for their adoption are more relevant than ever. States must back these rules with legal & practical measures if they're to be effective in conflict, say ICRC legal & prevention advisors. blogs.icrc.org/law-and-poli...
blogs.icrc.org
Complying with IHL in large-scale conflicts: key preparedness measures
A discussion of peacetime preparation in the present, to ensure compliance with IHL in the event of large-scale conflicts in the future.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
The Battle of Solferino took place on this day in 1859. Henry Dunant witnessed the battle & was so horrified by the suffering that he wrote 'A Memory of Solferino', which called for better care for wounded soldiers in wartime. In 1863, he co-founded the ICRC.
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International Committee of the Red Cross @icrc.org · 24/06/2025
📍 Gaza | We are devastated by the killing of our colleague Mahmoud Barakeh, who worked at the Red Cross Field Hospital. He was killed on his way home on Sunday, 22 June. Our hearts are with his family and loved ones. Five ICRC colleagues have been killed in Gaza since October 2023.
We are very sad to announce the death of another ICRC colleague in Gaza.   Mahmoud Barakeh, who worked supporting logistics at the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah, was killed  on Sunday, 22nd June.   Mahmoud leaves behind his wife, three sons, and  two daughters.   His killing is a profound personal loss and a painful moment for our teams.  We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all those who had the privilege of working alongside him.   This heartbreaking loss is yet another stark reminder of the immense challenges our colleagues and  the people of Gaza, face each day.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
Last week, ICRC delegates joined a specialised training course with the Irish Defence Forces to learn how to respond safely if chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) hazards are encountered during humanitarian operations. 🧵 1/5
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International Committee of the Red Cross @icrc.org · 22/06/2025
"The intensification and spread of major military operations in the Middle East risk engulfing the region—and the world—in a war with irreversible consequences", ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric. Read more: ms.spr.ly/63320Samie
The intensification and spread of major military operations in the Middle East risk engulfing the region—and the world—in a war with irreversible consequences.  The world cannot absorb limitless war. Upholding international humanitarian law is not a choice—it is an obligation.   Civilians must be spared from the conduct of hostilities. Medical personnel and first responders must be allowed to carry out their lifesaving work safely. This includes our colleagues at the Iranian Red Crescent Society. It also includes those at Magen David Adom.   The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has delegations in both Iran and Israel and is mobilising teams and supplies to scale up to address increasing needs—but no humanitarian response can substitute for political will to prioritise peace, stability and human life.”
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
📸 #FromTheArchives: Persons deprived of liberty must be treated with dignity & fairness, regardless of the reason for their detention. To this end, visiting detainees has historically been a core part of our work. ⬇ An ICRC delegate visits a prison in El Salvador, 1984.
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ICRC UK & Ireland @icrc-uk.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
📍 #DRCongo | Franck, 11, was seriously injured by an explosive device while he was playing with his friend. After more than three decades of armed conflict & violence, explosive remnants of war continue to threaten the lives of civilians. ➡ Read more: www.icrc.org/en/article/d...
icrc.org
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Explosive remnants of war yet again threaten lives
L’usage d’armes explosives dans plusieurs zones peuplées, dans la province du Nord-Kivu notamment, a entrainé la contamination de nombreuses zones par des restes explosifs de guerre. Après plus de tro...
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