Since the beginning of October 7 and until now, humanitarian work has faced unprecedented challenges, with all its forms and domains coming under attack and violation. From the blatant assaults targeting humanitarian teams on the ground—surpassing all reasonable limits—to the breaking of rules, international organizations, and established laws that were created to protect humanitarian organizations and their workers.
For decades, we believed that adherence to international charters and treaties would be enough to protect humanitarian teams from violations. However, today’s reality compels us to reconsider and emphasize the need to strengthen and update these laws to ensure the continuity of humanitarian work without threats or risks.
Over time, through our humanitarian initiatives, we have established academic institutions and specialized institutes aimed at spreading and teaching humanitarian principles, values of tolerance and neutrality, and humanitarian law, to enable society to play its role effectively—a society that believes in the right of every patient and injured person to receive quality healthcare, whether in times of peace or war. These individuals working on the frontlines of humanitarian aid transcend ethnic and sectarian divisions, operating under the belief that humanitarian principles are indivisible, and that human dignity deserves support and solidarity from all—regardless of background, color, or gender.
The Red cross and red Crescent organization, with its various branches—most notably the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent—has proven that humanitarian work does not stop under any circumstances, and that willpower and determination can overcome even the most difficult conditions. For more than 600 days, these organizations have been engaged in unprecedented relief and rescue operations, working tirelessly to find practical solutions and sustainable plans to serve more than 2.5 million affected individuals, including children, women, elderly people, and families living in the most dangerous and damaged areas. They faced enormous logistical challenges, bordering on the impossible, but the spirit of persistence and dedication always prevailed, showing that humanity can unite in times of crisis to achieve the ultimate goal: saving lives and alleviating suffering.
The Egyptian Red Crescent bore great responsibility in establishing flexible and effective working mechanisms that allowed it to closely cooperate with all humanitarian organizations around the world, including the United Nations, NGOs, governments, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and volunteers from all regions. All of them sought to achieve one goal: to lend a helping hand to their brothers and sisters in need, by all means and methods. Working teams were tasked with developing precise plans to assess needs and coordinate the delivery of aid to Egyptian territory, and then into the Gaza Strip, which suffers more than any other region from the cruelty of war and violations. This effort required continuous hard work, strategic planning, and swift execution to ensure that aid reached effectively and on time.
In this context, the Red Crescent handled all types of aid required by affected communities—whether food supplies, clean water, medical tools, modern medical equipment, petroleum products, or essential vaccines and medicines to save lives. The diversity in languages and customs between countries and organizations did not complicate assessment and coordination efforts; rather, it enhanced the precision and professionalism of the work. Joint efforts were made to achieve the highest levels of efficiency in organizing relief operations and unifying efforts within a flexible and effective coordination framework, ensuring that aid reached those who deserved it, at the right time and in the proper way.
Throughout this period, the efforts of more than 100 countries and 200 humanitarian organizations came together, along with millions of volunteers who participated in serving humanity around the world. All of them—despite their different cultures and languages—shared one humanitarian goal: to work for a common humanity and provide help to those in need under the most difficult circumstances. This experience has been a profound lesson in global solidarity, showing that humanity possesses immense energy when efforts are united.
What is happening now is a wake-up call to the international community—particularly the organizations active in humanitarian work—which bear the responsibility of protecting civilians and workers in this field. Belief in the philosophy of humanitarian work is not something new; it is the result of accumulated experience and field-based lessons learned over the years.
And hope remains the title of life.
