ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric called on countries to respect the rules of war and urged them to find the political will to prevent “further death and destruction”.
“The military escalation in the Middle East is igniting a dangerous chain reaction across the region, with potentially devastating consequences for civilians,” Spoljaric said in a statement.
“Upholding the rules of war is an obligation and not a choice. In international armed conflicts, international humanitarian law, in particular all four Geneva Conventions, apply.”
The Geneva-based ICRC acts as the guardians of IHL, the set of rules which seeks to limit the effects of armed conflict. It protects people who are not or are no longer participating in hostilities and restricts the means and methods of warfare.
“Civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, homes and schools must be spared from attack. Medical personnel and first responders must be allowed to carry out their work safely,” Spoljaric said.
‘Blood drives’ in Israel
Meanwhile, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the world’s largest humanitarian network, said it was prepositioning aid and activating its logistics pipeline.
The Geneva-based IFRC said the Iranian Red Crescent Society had mobilised its volunteers, medical services, rapid response teams, search and rescue units and pharmacies to deliver aid to people affected by the strikes.
“This includes deploying response teams following an attack on a school in Minab,” it said.
In Israel, the Magen David Adom society has also mobilised staff and volunteers.
“Teams are treating and evacuating affected people to hospitals and conducting transfer operations to safeguard patients in non-sheltered facilities,” the IFRC said.
“Blood drives are under way at secure locations across the country to ensure full operational preparedness for all scenarios.”
The IFRC, which has more than 17 million volunteers in more than 191 countries, called for medical personnel to be allowed to operate safely and reach those in need.