Red Cross Confirms Facilitating Gaza Exits for Vulnerable Families at Request of Foreign Consulates
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) helps evacuate select Gaza residents via Kerem Shalom crossing after consular requests, focusing on humanitarian cases and family reunification.
Watan-An official from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has confirmed the evacuation of individuals from the Gaza Strip to destinations outside the besieged territory. The transfers were conducted in coordination with several countries’ consulates and facilitated by the ICRC.
Hisham Mhanna, spokesperson for the ICRC in Gaza, stated that, “Since March 2025, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has facilitated—for limited cases and at the request of consular services from several countries—the transport of certain individuals, relatives of citizens or permanent residents of those countries, to the Kerem Shalom crossing.”
According to Mhanna, consular representatives received the individuals at the Kerem Shalom crossing point to assist them in continuing their journey to their countries of destination, where they were reunited with their families.
He also noted that the groups evacuated included foreign nationals and members of vulnerable families who required urgent care and family support abroad. These evacuations were carried out under humanitarian considerations and in response to specific consular requests.
ICRC Clarifies Role in Assisting Gaza Evacuations Through Kerem Shalom
The ICRC spokesperson in Gaza explained that “the responsibility for initiating the travel procedures from Gaza lies with the host countries of these families, in coordination with the competent authorities that issue the required permits.” He continued, in response to more questions: “Given the absence of consular services for these countries in the Gaza Strip, they requested the ICRC’s assistance to ensure the safe transfer of their nationals to the Kerem Shalom crossing.”
Mhanna emphasized that “the ICRC’s role in such activities is purely facilitative, limited to ensuring safe transport within Gaza’s borders. This is conducted within the organization’s humanitarian mandate, which includes assisting vulnerable populations, reuniting families, and preserving family connections.”
He also disclosed that the ICRC has “recently received many inquiries from individuals wishing to leave Gaza. To clarify our specific role, we share the same information outlined above regarding such operations.”
The ICRC also issued a similar public statement clarifying its role in the ongoing reports about the relocation of Gaza residents abroad through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
