The Israeli army has admitted that it mistakenly attacked the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza

The Israeli army has launched an investigation after tanks fired artillery shells at an office building of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, mistakenly identifying it as a threat target.

Xinhua quoted the IDF as saying in a statement released on Monday (March 24) that soldiers stationed in Rafah saw a suspicious target in the building and opened fire after identifying a threat. An investigation later found that the previous identification was incorrect, and the building belonged to the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Israeli army did not know the ownership of the building when it opened fire.

Earlier in the day, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement that one of its offices in Rafah was hit by "explosive projectiles" that day, causing damage to its facilities and causing no casualties.

The statement said that even though the location of the office had been clearly marked and notified to all parties, it was still damaged by the attack. This incident has had a direct impact on the ICRC's relief capacity and the ICRC strongly condemns attacks on its facilities.

The UN Secretary General has decided to scale back aid to Gaza

Over the past week, Israel has carried out devastating attacks on Gaza, killing hundreds of civilians, including United Nations staff. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made the "difficult decision" Monday to scale back humanitarian aid operations in Gaza. But he also promised that the United Nations would not leave Gaza.

After the ceasefire in Gaza on January 19, the people of Gaza have gained a long-awaited respite, and the humanitarian disaster has been eased to a certain extent. Despite strong calls from the international community to extend the ceasefire in Gaza, the situation continues to move in the opposite direction.

Israel announced on March 2 that it would stop providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, and cut off Gaza's electricity supply on March 9. On March 17, Israel launched a massive air strike on Gaza that killed hundreds of civilians, including at least five UN staff members.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the U.N. Secretary-General, said Monday that despite surging humanitarian needs and heightened concerns about the protection of civilians, the secretary-general had to make the difficult decision to scale back U.N. operations in Gaza.

Nevertheless, the United Nations will continue to provide full relief supplies. About a third of the 100 or so international staff currently working in Gaza will be temporarily withdrawn.

The UN compound was shelled by Israeli tanks

The UNIC quoted Dujarric as saying that according to current information, the March 19 attack on the UN compound in Deir Balah was carried out by Israeli tanks. The attack killed a Bulgarian UN staff member and seriously injured six others, including staff from France, Moldova, North Macedonia, Palestine and the United Kingdom, some of whom may be permanently disabled.

Dujarric said, "All parties to the conflict know where the United Nations is located. I reiterate that all parties to a conflict have an obligation under international law to protect the absolute inviolability of United Nations facilities. Failure to do so will expose our colleagues to unbearable risks while saving civilian lives."

The Secretary-General reiterates his urgent appeal for a ceasefire to be restored in order to end the suffering.

The health system is on the verge of collapse

UN humanitarian agencies are reporting a week of deadly attacks on health workers, ambulances and hospitals since Israel resumed bombing Gaza.

U.n. Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said he continues to receive horrific reports of attacks on medical personnel, ambulances and hospitals in Gaza while treating the wounded.

In southern Gaza, the surgical building of the Nasser Medical Center caught fire on Sunday (23), causing many casualties. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society confirmed that its four ambulances and 10 rescue workers were attacked. The team has been missing for more than 30 hours and their whereabouts are unknown.

As hostilities continue across Gaza, the United Nations and its partners are calling for additional emergency medical teams to support exhausted health workers.