Humanity & Inclusion's office in Gaza destroyed

Humanity & Inclusion (HI)'s office located in Rimal neighbourhood in Gaza City, has been destroyed in a bombing strike on January 31, 2024. The building is completely destroyed. No HI staff were present, but we do not have information about potential other victims in the surrounding areas. No alert or warning was given to HI, even though the coordinates of the building were duly communicated to the notification system put in place by the United Nations and Israeli forces to avoid the inadvertent targeting of humanitarian premises.

The priority of our organisation is ensuring the safety and well-being of our staff and volunteers in Gaza, as well as to be able to provide assistance to civilians affected by the conflict.

Since October 7, at least 26,751 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and some 65,636 injured by the ongoing bombardment by Israeli forces. The Israeli retaliation follows the Hamas attacks on October 7, that killed 1,200 Israelis and took 240 Israelis and foreigners hostage.

We are calling on the parties to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law. They must ensure the protection of civilians or civilian objects. They must ensure the provision of rapid and unimpeded humanitarian assistance. Medical and humanitarian workers and infrastructure must be protected.

“We are deeply concerned about the pattern of the past months of destroying civilian buildings where NGOs have their offices, schools or civilian’s houses. It’s again the demonstration that nowhere in Gaza is safe. This must stop, and an immediate, long-lasting ceasefire is the only solution"

comments Federico Dessi, HI Regional Director in the Middle East.

HI firmly and loudly calls for an end to the use of explosive weapons in Gaza, as it has a systematic indiscriminate impact on civilians and threatens access to essential services for hundreds of thousands of people, including shelter, water, electricity, and humanitarian assistance. It also impedes the ability of humanitarian aid agencies to respond adequately and quickly to the vast and growing needs of civilians.

Notes

Spokespersons available upon request

• Federico Dessi, Regional Director - Middle East Program, Humanity & Inclusion
• George Graham, Chief Executive, Humanity & Inclusion UK – George has been to Gaza in the past and is an experienced campaigner on the impact of conflict on civilians, and particularly people with disabilities