Attack on ICRC Staff in Donetsk – Breaking News

THE International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Ukraine Office announced that three of its staff were killed and two injured in an attack in the Donetsk region. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk reacted by stating that attacks on aid workers should not be the “new normal”.

The ICRC announced yesterday that three aid workers were killed and two others injured in an attack by Russian forces in the Donetsk region ahead of a planned aid distribution. “ICRC teams are regularly present in the Donetsk region and our vehicles are clearly marked with the Red Cross emblem. The deaths of the three ICRC workers come at a time when the number of humanitarian workers killed worldwide has increased sharply in the past two years. The ICRC calls for respect for international humanitarian law, including taking all possible measures to ensure that humanitarian aid workers are not targeted or caught in the middle of hostilities,” the statement said.

SECOND ATTACK ON AID WORKERS THIS WEEK

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack on Wednesday in which a UNRWA school was hit and 6 UNRWA workers were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, and stated that “Nowhere is safe in Gaza.” High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk emphasized that the attack in Ukraine yesterday, following the killing of 6 aid workers in Gaza, could not be the “new normal”, saying, “I condemn these heinous acts. This must not become a new normal. Respect and protection of humanitarian workers is a fundamental rule of international law.” Former First Minister of Scotland Hamza Yusuf made a statement following the news of the successive attacks, saying, “Stop talking about ‘safe zones’ in Gaza. There are only death zones there. Gaza has become hell on earth. Israel is currently killing with impunity, in every sense of the word. How many more massacres do we have to witness before those responsible are tried for war crimes?”

‘ANOTHER RUSSIAN WAR CRIMINAL’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement about the attack: “Another Russian war crime. Today, the invaders attacked vehicles belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross humanitarian mission in the Donetsk region. As of now, we know of two wounded who are receiving all necessary assistance. Unfortunately, three people lost their lives in this Russian attack. I offer my deepest condolences to their families and friends. Everything is clear in this war: Russia sows evil, Ukraine defends life. If someone wants to hear the voice of ‘both sides’, in Russia this is perceived only as a license to kill again. The world must respond firmly and principled. Countries and international organizations cannot remain indifferent. Only together can the world force Russia to stop this terror and make Moscow seek peace.”