Israel slated over children

2009-01-08 23:42

Geneva - The International Red Cross accused Israel on Thursday of "unacceptable" delays in letting rescue workers reach three Gaza City homes hit by shelling where they eventually found 15 dead.

There were also 18 wounded - including young children too weak to stand.

The Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross said the Israeli army refused rescuers permission to reach the site in the Zeitoun neighbourhood for four days.

Ambulances could not get to the neighbourhood because the Israeli army had erected large earthen barriers that blocked access.

Israel said the delay was caused by fighting in the area and accused Hamas of using Palestinian civilians as human shields.

Three-hour halt

Since Wednesday, Israel has observed a daily three-hour halt in operations to allow humanitarian evacuations and aid deliveries throughout Gaza.

Eventually, rescuers from the International Red Cross and Palestine Red Crescent received permission to go into the shelled houses during the halt in fighting on Wednesday, four days after the buildings were hit by Israeli shells.

"This is a shocking incident," Pierre Wettach, head of the ICRC for the region, said.

The rescue team "found four small children next to their dead mothers in one of the houses.

"They were too weak to stand up on their own. One man was also found alive, too weak to stand up," the statement said.

"In all, there were at least 12 corpses lying on mattresses" in one of the houses, it added.

The organisation said the children and the wounded had to be transported by donkey cart to ambulances.

"The Israeli military must have been aware of the situation, but did not assist the wounded," the international Red Cross said.

Rare public criticism

"Neither did they make it possible for us or the Palestine Red Crescent to assist the wounded."

The ICRC normally conducts confidential negotiations with warring parties, and the statement was a rare public criticism of one party to a conflict over a specific incident.

The Israeli military did not comment on the specifics of the Red Cross allegations, but said it is closely co-operating with international aid organisations during the Gaza fighting to assist civilians caught in the crossfire.

- AP