(13 Mar 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cairo, Egypt – 13 March 2025
1. Wide of Kate Forbes the President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies during interview
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Kate Forbes, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent:
"The situation on the ground has deteriorated (in Gaza). As you know, more people in need and the challenge of getting aid in it’s even more difficult, especially in the last 11 days with the ceasefire and the closing of the border. So, the challenges we face are very different."
3. IFRC logo on banner in background
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Kate Forbes, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent:
"Yesterday I went to a children’s room that happened to be accompanying children with family members who were ill and they were telling about children who initially weren’t speaking. They were mute because of what they’d seen."
5. Forbes’s hands
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Kate Forbes, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent:
"What we’re getting through right now is about 50 patients a day. And like I said, the estimate is about 25,000 patients still remain in Gaza. So again, that’s something that we need to have faster opening up."
7. ICRC logo on Forbes’ suit
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Kate Forbes, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent:
"Whatever plan goes forward, (regarding Gaza) the most important thing the first six months is going to be humanitarian aid, because we’ll need to get hospitals, we’ll need to get food distribution. You know, we need to get schools up and running. So regardless of what the underlying plan is, humanitarian aid will be absolutely critical. For that we all need to coordinate."
9. Forbes during interview
STORYLINE:
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) says around 25,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip need medical evacuation.
IFRC President Kate Forbes said Thursday the organisation has been working with local partners to medically evacuate some 50 Palestinian patients from Gaza every day, and the focus continues on trying to evacuate the remaining thousands in need of care.
The patients medically evacuating from Gaza include chronically ill people who suffer from various diseases including cancer, and those whose regular treatments were interrupted during the war due to the destroyed healthcare infrastructure.
During her visit to Cairo this week, Forbes met with some of the medical evacuees and the children who accompanied them.
She explained that the war had deeply affected the children, leaving them mute upon arrival due to the trauma they had experienced.
IFRC is currently facing the additional challenge of dealing with nearly over 500 trucks lined up at the Egyptian Rafah Crossing border.
Israeli authorities froze all aid entry by closing all crossings into Gaza starting March 2.
“The situation on the ground has deteriorated and more people in need and the challenge of getting aid and it’s even more difficult, especially in the last 11 days with the ceasefire and the closing at the border,” Forbes explained.
A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has largely held since late January.
Hamas said Tuesday evening that a new round of ceasefire talks have started.
Israel wants Hamas to release half the remaining hostages in Gaza in return for a promise to negotiate a lasting truce.
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