The Red Cross paid tribute on Wednesday in Geneva (Switzerland) to its more than 30 volunteers and employees who died or were killed in the exercise of their duties in 2024, the deadliest year recorded by all humanitarian organizations in the world.
On the eve of International Volunteer Day, more than 100 people gathered in a garden outside the headquarters of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), most dressed in the famous red vests and with candles in hand.
This tribute was paid as a Palestinian Red Crescent rescuer died Wednesday in Gaza, “bringing to 32 the number of IFRC network members killed worldwide this year”the organization said in a press release.
“Alaa Al-Derawi, a member of the Palestinian Red Crescent emergency medical team, was shot and killed in the Khan Younis area of Gaza, shortly after transporting patients for treatment” et “he was returning to base when the incident occurred”detailed the IFRC.
In Geneva, standing in the cold in front of a banner bearing the inscription “Protect humanity”some held portraits of Red Cross employees and volunteers killed in 2024 around the world.
“We are shocked. We are dismayed”said Deputy Secretary General for Global Relations, Diplomacy and Digitalization at the IFRC, Nena Stoiljkovic, addressing the gathering.
“We are not a target”added Frank Mohrhauer, another IFRC official.
After a minute of silence, an IFRC staff member read out the names of the deceased.
Last month, the United Nations announced that the record figure of 280 humanitarian workers killed in 2023 had already been exceeded.
The war in Gaza is particularly driving up the numbers, but aid workers are also victims of violence and killings in other parts of the world, including Sudan and Ukraine.
“2024 is now the deadliest year on record for aid workers”said Ms Stoiljkovic.
“This sinister course has not spared the IFRC network”she added, recalling that last week, another Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteer was killed and eight others injured during an attack.
“They were rescuing people who desperately needed humanitarian assistance”she explained. Ms Stoiljkovic told AFP that the event, which preceded International Volunteer Day on Thursday, was “a moment of reflection” on these considerable losses, with “sadness and compassion”.
