From Gaza’s field hospitals to Sudan’s shattered health systems – civilians and humanitarian workers need protection, and action, now.

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Three flags representing the Red Crystal, Red Crescent, and Red Cross fly outside a building to mark Red Cross and Red Crescent Day. ([link removed] )

On 8 May 2025, we marked Red Cross and Red Crescent Day by celebrating the courage and commitment of our humanitarian workers. But even as we honoured their service, we also remembered the growing number of colleagues who killed while delivering aid. Their deaths demand more than remembrance – they demand action to protect every humanitarian risking their life to save others. Thierry GASSMANN/ICRC

Dear reader,

Each May, the United Nation’s spotlight on the Protection of Civilians calls us to reflect on a shared duty: safeguarding lives in times of conflict.

Yet across the globe, civilians continue to bear the brunt of war – too often because the laws designed to protect them, known as International Humanitarian Law, are ignored.

In this issue, we delve into the harsh realities civilians face, reaffirm the urgent need to uphold these critical laws, and shine a light on the vital efforts underway to protect those most at risk.

Feeding hope amid conflict: The heroes behind Gaza’s common kitchens

Workers in a community kitchen in Deir al-Balah, Gaza. Zurab BURDULI/ICRC

Willing to help his community despite his struggle to support his own family, he moves deftly between massive pots, industrial burners, lines of volunteers working shoulder to shoulder, and queues of residents clutching empty bowls, hoping today is not the day the food runs out.

“Despite fear and insecurity, people keep coming to the kitchens. They say the need is greater than the fear, and that there’s nothing more terrifying than watching your children starve.”

Discover how solidarity simmers in Gaza, against all odds.
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Heat, hunger, and hope: Myanmar’s earthquake recovery struggles continue

Hear it from our head of delegation in Myanmar
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The earthquake that struck central Myanmar in March has left scars deeper than the rubble. For many in Myanmar, home has become a memory.

Since the earthquake, people sleep under tarps or in the open, braving intense heat and the constant threat of illness. The destruction goes beyond buildings – it has shaken the systems that sustain life. Families displaced, health services shattered, and safe water hard to find – this is the daily reality for thousands.

As local communities step up to help one another, the ICRC and partners are supporting where we can.

Stay informed about the ongoing situation in Myanmar.
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Report: Sudan, two years on - The cost of war on civilians

“Every time I dream, I see him… I hope that he will come back to us, safe and sound, unharmed." A father, Othman Moussa Hassan, whose son disappeared in November 2023. Mutawakel Issa

Sudan is in crisis. Two years of ruinous civil war has been seared into the lives of millions of Sudanese.

Civilians are trapped in a relentless nightmare of death and destruction. Killed and injured, their homes are looted, and their livelihoods destroyed. Sexual violence is rampant and seeding trauma that will reverberate for generations. Humanitarian workers and first responders are deliberately attacked while carrying out their lifesaving work.

As the conflict enters its third year, parties to the conflict must honour the commitments made in Jeddah to uphold international humanitarian law and take concrete steps today to protect civilians

Download the ICRC's full report
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Field hospital in Gaza, one year on: another milestone no one wanted

Aerial view of an ICRC field hospital with white tents near the coast, set up to provide emergency medical aid, in Rafah, Gaza. ICRC

In Gaza, even hospitals aren’t safe – but they remain essential.

One year ago, the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah opened as a temporary solution. Today, it stands as a testament to resilience and care in a place where war has shattered lives.

Medical teams work under constant threat, treating the wounded, delivering babies, and helping the injured recover – often with sirens and explosions just beyond the tent walls.

Facts & figures: See the results of one year of relentless work.
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Hospitals under fire: Unpacking patterns and protection failures

A dialysis unit in Ibn Sina General Hospital, Mosul, with shattered equipment, debris, and scorched walls showing signs of severe damage after the battle for Mosul in 2017. ICRC

From Gaza and Ukraine to Sudan, hospitals are being bombed, blockaded, and discredited. The law is clear: Hospitals must be protected. But reality tells another story.

Hospitals in conflict zones are caught between life-saving missions and life-threatening conditions. We are shedding light on the legal obligations, the challenges of enforcement, and the urgent need to protect the people and principles at the heart of humanitarian care.

Read or have a listen to why hospitals are still attacked.
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Born into crisis: The fight for safe motherhood in Central African Republic

A group of women arriving for appointments at an ICRC-supported health centre in Doukouma, Central African Republic, with their children. Hugh Kinsella CUNNINGHAM / ICRC

As Mother's Day is celebrated around the world, many women in the Central African Republic face a starkly different reality. Giving birth here is a life-threatening risk – with maternal mortality 40 times higher than in the United States, and newborn deaths heartbreakingly common due to the severe lack of maternal health care.

Through the lens of Hugh Kinsella Cunningham, recipient of the 14th ICRC Humanitarian Visa d’Or award, we witness the courage of mothers and the urgent fight for safe childbirth in one of today’s most overlooked humanitarian crises.

Read their stories and discover how support can save lives.
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International Committee of the Red Cross, 19 Avenue de la Paix, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland

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