International Committee of the Red Cross Press Releases - EIN Presswire

Published on September 5, 2025 - 12:01 GMT

Israel and the occupied territories: ICRC reiterates call to release hostages after release of distressing video

Hostage-taking is strictly prohibited under to international humanitarian law. All forms of public exposure that humiliate persons deprived of liberty and endanger their safety must be avoided. We reiterate our call that until the hostages are released, …

Distribution channels: Human Rights

Published on September 5, 2025 - 10:39 GMT

Second round of consultations for the Global Initiative to Galvanize Political Commitment to IHL

For the workstream on National IHL Committees, this round of consultations will continue through regional forums gathering of national IHL committees across the globe: Past regional consultations: 21 May 2025, Warsaw (in person): consultation integrated …

Distribution channels: Human Rights

Published on September 4, 2025 - 08:54 GMT

Afghanistan: ICRC responds to deadly earthquake

The full extent of humanitarian situation in this remote region is not yet known. Many affected villages and valleys remain inaccessible due to rockslides that have blocked roads, leaving communities cut off from life-saving aid. Immediate humanitarian …

Distribution channels: Human Rights

Published on September 4, 2025 - 08:54 GMT

Afghanistan: Swift response needed to help those hit by devastating earthquake

The devastating earthquake that struck Afghanistan late Sunday has left more than a thousand people dead, many more injured and countless missing beneath the rubble. This tragedy hit communities that have already endured severe hardship due to the past …

Distribution channels:

Published on September 2, 2025 - 07:25 GMT

The International Committee of the Red Cross closes its delegation in the Republic of Azerbaijan

The ICRC will continue to engage with the Azerbaijani authorities to support persons protected under international humanitarian law (IHL) in line with our mandate and the country’s obligations under the Geneva Conventions. We intend to preserve our …

Distribution channels: Human Rights

Published on September 2, 2025 - 02:01 GMT

Syria: For families of the missing, it is answers, not time, that will heal the pain

But this day also stands as a stark reminder of the hundreds and thousands of people missing worldwide. In Syria itself, the ICRC has registered more than 37,000 cases of missing people over the past 14 years. The long years of conflict, situations of …

Distribution channels: Human Rights

Published on September 2, 2025 - 02:01 GMT

Azerbaijan: Facts and figures from over 30 years of humanitarian engagement

Supporting Families of the Missing The ICRC worked with authorities and communities to trace thousands of people missing from the Karabakh conflict. Beyond tracing, families received legal, forensic and psychosocial support through home visits, peer …

Distribution channels:

Published on August 31, 2025 - 12:22 GMT

Standing in the face of absence: “The past ten years have been the most painful of my life. Yet I still endure”

“I still remember the day he didn’t come home,” she says softly, her hands tightened in her lap. “At first, I thought it was a mistake, that maybe he was delayed. But as the days turned into months, and the months into years, the waiting became unbearable. …

Distribution channels: Human Rights

Published on August 31, 2025 - 12:22 GMT

ICRC president: Mass evacuation of Gaza City unfeasible and incomprehensible

It is impossible that a mass evacuation of Gaza City could ever be done in a way that is safe and dignified under the current conditions. Such an evacuation would trigger a massive population movement that no area in the Gaza Strip can absorb, given the …

Distribution channels: Human Rights

Published on August 29, 2025 - 11:44 GMT

Balancing risks and opportunities: New technologies and the search for missing people

In 2024, the Family Links Network, which brings together the ICRC and 191 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, worked with affected families to locate more than 16,000 people and reunite more than 7,000 people with their families. Every minute, …

Distribution channels: Human Rights

Published on August 29, 2025 - 10:14 GMT

Syria: ICRC calls for sustained and collective efforts to address the issue of the missing

Over the past 14 years, more than 37,000 individuals have been registered as missing by the ICRC in Syria. This number represents only a fraction of the true toll, with countless families enduring the anguish of uncertainty, often for years, with no news …

Distribution channels: Human Rights

Published on August 29, 2025 - 08:04 GMT

Number of missing people registered with the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement up nearly 70% in five years

States and parties to armed conflicts bear the primary responsibility to prevent disappearances, protect civilians and people deprived of liberty, clarify the fate of missing people and provide long-term support to their families. How states respond to …

Distribution channels: Human Rights

Published on August 28, 2025 - 13:49 GMT

DRC: Silence, a slow killer

In North Kivu, there are already huge numbers of people in need, and so caring for victims of sexual violence is challenging, particularly given the ongoing instability caused by armed conflict and the budget cuts faced by many humanitarian organizations …

Distribution channels: Human Rights

Published on August 28, 2025 - 12:27 GMT

Sri Lanka: Ambiguous Loss

Ambiguous loss, which is sometimes also referred to as frozen grief, describes the debilitating impact of losing a family member and not knowing their fate and whereabouts. Unlike death, this loss does not allow opportunities for closure and resolution, …

Distribution channels: Human Rights

Published on August 28, 2025 - 09:57 GMT

“The Man from Egypt”: Why I left the comfort of the operating room to work in conflict zones

But the hardest moments came during mass casualty incidents. I will never forget what happened in Maiduguri, Nigeria, when around ninety injured were brought to our hospital after an explosion. Buses and trucks arrived filled with wounded men, women, and …

Distribution channels: Human Rights

Published on August 28, 2025 - 07:44 GMT

Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi: January to June 2025 Facts & Figures

In the first half of 2025, the humanitarian landscape was shaped by multiple crises affecting millions worldwide. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) focused on addressing the consequences of armed conflicts and other situations of violence …

Distribution channels:

Published on August 27, 2025 - 14:32 GMT

International Day of the Disappeared: Conflict in Sudan drives missing persons cases in Africa

In 2024, the ICRC and its Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners facilitated 755 family reunifications on the continent and provided definitive news of the whereabouts of loved ones to 5,083 families. Despite these positive results, the caseload of …

Distribution channels: Human Rights

Published on August 27, 2025 - 07:46 GMT

South Sudan: The pain, memories and hope

Nafisa (not her real name), a 58-year-old woman from neighboring Sudan shares Nyakol’s anguish, having lost contact with her grandson, seven-year-old Ahmed (not his real name), as the family fled the conflict in Sudan in December 2023. Nafisa’s escape to …

Distribution channels: Human Rights

Published on August 27, 2025 - 07:28 GMT

Israel and the occupied territories: ICRC appalled by strike on Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza

For a health facility like NMC to be damaged in a strike on Monday morning, and for medical personnel, journalists, patients, and first responders to be killed and injured as a result of this, is unacceptable. Such strikes cause death and destruction and …

Distribution channels: Human Rights

Published on August 26, 2025 - 07:36 GMT

Frequently asked questions about the closure of ICRC’s office in Azerbaijan

For over 30 years, the ICRC has been part of the country’s humanitarian landscape, addressing the evolving needs of people affected by conflict while prioritizing human dignity and long-term resilience. Guided by its commitment to humanitarian principles …

Distribution channels: Human Rights