"Yesterday people who have been sheltering in severely damaged houses in Gaza were finally reached for the first time in four days by teams of Red Cross and Red Crescent medical experts. These people included four small children, who remained with the bodies of their dead mothers as well as several other wounded survivors and a dozen bodies,

"This is a shocking incident and underlines the need for immediate access by the Red Cross in the area to help the wounded. It also serves to remind the Israel Defense Forces of their obligations under International Humanitarian Law to assist the wounded. " said Noel Wardick, Head of the International Department of the Irish Red Cross.

Today the Red Cross and Red Crescent teams will go back to retrieve additional bodies of people that could not be brought out of the affected area yesterday. The children and 18 wounded were brought out together with some 12 others suffering from exhaustion by donkey cart, after access to the area by ambulance was blocked by earthen walls erected by the Israeli Defense Forces. The Red Cross teams defied orders by the Israeli Defense Forces to leave the area and tended the wounded and sick on site.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was informed that there are more wounded sheltering in other destroyed houses in this neighbourhood. It demands that the Israeli military grant it and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society which provides the ambulance service in Gaza, safe passage and access immediately to search for any other wounded. Until now, the ICRC has still not received confirmation from the Israeli authorities that this will be allowed.

Noel Wardick further added that the Irish Red Cross fully supports the ICRC view that in this instance the Israeli military failed to meet its obligation under international humanitarian law to care for and evacuate the wounded. It considers the delay in allowing rescue services access unacceptable.