IFRC welcomes Gaza ceasefire, calls for immediate scaling up of humanitarian aid

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, issued a statement on Thursday welcoming the Gaza ceasefire agreement and emphasizing the urgent need to expand humanitarian aid to Gaza immediately.

The statement highlighted that the ceasefire agreement provides an opportunity for the people of Gaza, who have endured 15 months of devastating conflict, as well as for detainees awaiting release and their families. So immediate efforts must be made to seize the current window of opportunity to save lives.

Gaza is currently facing an extreme humanitarian crisis. Widespread conflict has destroyed homes, schools, medical facilities, and critical infrastructure. Recent severe weather has exacerbated the disaster, with plummeting temperatures and heavy rain making life even more challenging for families living in temporary camps.

However, humanitarian aid efforts remain severely hindered by border closures and other restrictions. Since May 2024, the Rafah crossing at the Egypt-Gaza border has been closed, leaving large quantities of aid supplies stranded outside the Gaza Strip.

The statement called for ensuring the immediate and secure delivery of aid supplies to all areas, including northern Gaza, protecting civilians, humanitarian workers, and medical facilities, and the unconditional release of all detainees.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) released a report on Thursday, citing analysis from Save the Children, which revealed that an average of 475 children in Gaza have suffered lifelong disabilities each month in 2024 due to attacks involving explosive weapons. This equates to more than 15 children per day experiencing severe injuries, including significant physical trauma and hearing loss.

In addition, tens of thousands of families are still residing in at least 80 shelters operated by the UNRWA in the Gaza Strip. Many of these people have been displaced multiple times, with some having been dislocated 10 times or more.

The report also stated that since the outbreak of the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict on October 7, 2023, the death toll among UNRWA team members had reached 266 as of January 9, 2025.

IFRC welcomes Gaza ceasefire, calls for immediate scaling up of humanitarian aid

IFRC welcomes Gaza ceasefire, calls for immediate scaling up of humanitarian aid

A Chinese envoy on Monday called on the international community to jointly prevent Japan from reverting to "the old and pernicious path of militarism."

Sun Lei, charge d'affaires of China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, made the appeal at the first session of the Preparatory Committee for the UN Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity.

Crimes against humanity constitute grave offenses that threaten international peace and security. This charge first appeared in the Charter of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg and the Charter of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, embodying the conscience of humankind, he said.

During World War II, Japanese militarism inflicted profound atrocities on the people of China, other Asian nations, and the world. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the work of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East ("Tokyo trials"), he noted.

The Tribunal systematically adjudicated and exposed the crimes of Japanese militarism in planning, preparing for, and invading China and other Asian nations, as well as in launching the Pacific War. It sentenced relevant war criminals for crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, he said.

"The Tokyo trials stand as irrefutable historical evidence of Japan's crimes of aggression, pioneered the development of international criminal law, and sounded a clarion call for peace to correct Japan's expansionist policies. The international community should jointly safeguard the victorious outcomes of the Second World War, including the Tokyo trials, uphold the international order based on international law, and prevent Japan from reverting to the old and pernicious path of militarism," he said.

Against the current international situation marked by intertwined changes and turmoil and regional conflicts arising one after another, strengthening the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity is both timely and of great significance, said Sun.

China calls for efforts to prevent Japan from reverting to militarism