Gaza: This is now full-blown crisis, says Red Cross

Published on Tuesday 6 January 2009 20:49

GAZA is now gripped by a "full-blown" humanitarian crisis, the International Red Cross said last night.

Pierre Kraehenbuehl, its head of operations, said the situation for civilians was "extreme and traumatic as a result of ten days of uninterrupted fighting".

He said Red Cross staff in Gaza had described Monday as "the most frightening of all to date" on account of the ground offensive Israel had launched.

Speaking from Geneva, he said the number of civilians killed or injured was increasing. And he warned that fragile power supplies in the warn-torn area could collapse at any moment, leaving 500,000 people without clean water and at risk of disease.

He said: "The main message coming out of Gaza is one of fear and frustration. This past night was described to us over the phone as being the most frightening of all to date.

"There is no doubt in my mind we are dealing with a full-blown and major crisis in humanitarian terms."