ICRC UK & Ireland

@icrc-uk.bsky.social

We build support for the ICRC's global operations and further understanding of international humanitarian law (IHL).

🤝 Getting aid to people in war zones isn’t just about logistics - it’s about trust. ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric on the enduring power of the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

⚖️ Yesterday at Westminster, ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric addressed MPs, peers, and government officials on the urgent need to uphold the rules of war. In an increasingly volatile world, strengthening respect for international humanitarian law cannot wait.

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Hi, I’m Terry Hackett. I lead the ICRC’s work with people deprived of their liberty. Over the next 3 days, I’ll be sharing what our detention work looks like on the ground - how our teams support detainees, what we do, and why it matters. 📸 Me on the far left, in Venezuela.

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Hi, I’m Niamh, an Irish forensic specialist working in Ukraine with the @icrc.org. For the next 3 days, I'll be posting here about my work, supporting authorities in their dignified management and identification of the deceased. 📸 On the road in Ukraine.

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“What I witnessed is beyond imagination…hospitals have turned into graveyards.” Speaking to BBC Radio 4 Today, our colleague, Hisham, describes some of the scenes he witnessed in Gaza City and the need for civilians still there to be protected. 👇

We remain operational in Gaza City and will continue to provide the desperately needed assistance and protection activities to the most vulnerable people as long as security permits us to do so. Sarah Avrillaud, ICRC head of subdelegation in Gaza, shares 👇🏽

Hi again, Rieke here – I’ve just left Gaza after another rotation at the Red Cross Field Hospital with the @icrc.org. In July, I told you about mass casualties, stray bullets, and shortages of medical supplies. Here's what I saw on the ground.

ICRC UK & Ireland@icrc-uk.bsky.social · last yr.

Hi, I’m Rieke, a physio from Ireland. I just finished a 6-week deployment to Gaza with the @icrc.org. For the next 3 days, I'll post about my experiences at the Red Cross Field Hospital. 📸 Me & my youngest patient: Malek, a 6-month-old baby who was injured in an explosion.

"With every limb saved, every smile restored, and every life pulled back from the brink, I remember why I chose this path." Egyptian anesthesiologist Dr. Aktham Al-Farnawani has worked with the ICRC from South Sudan to Nigeria. This is his story. 👇 www.icrc.org/en/article/m...

“The Man from Egypt”: Why I left the comfort of the operating room to work in conflict zones

Egyptian anesthesiologist Dr. Aktham Al-Farnawani recounts his journey from the comfort of advanced hospitals to those functioning in tents in conflict zones.

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📸 #FromTheArchives | Different challenges call for different solutions. We do whatever we can to reach affected communities. 1️⃣ A plane lands in Angola, 1985. 2️⃣ A helicopter in rural Pakistan, 2005. 3️⃣ A vehicle fords a river in DRC, 2018. 4️⃣ A boat on the Amazon River, 2021.

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📍Gaza | It is unacceptable for a health facility like Nasser Medical Complex to be damaged in a strike and for medical personnel, journalists, patients & first responders to be killed and injured. Medical facilities, civilians, journalists & first responders must be protected.

Nasser Medical Complex (NMC) is one of the last major hospitals still operating in southern Gaza, and provides critical and specialized medical care to thousands of patients in an area where few medical facilities remain amid ongoing hostilities.  For a health facility like NMC to be damaged in a strike on Monday morning, and for medical personnel, journalists, patients and first responders to be killed and injured as a result of this, is unacceptable.   Such strikes cause death and destruction, and jeopardize vital lifelines for patients who have few sanctuaries left. NMC is a referral hospital for the Red Cross Field Hospital and other medical units.   It is crucial to guarantee its continued operation and accessibility for both medical personnel and patients.  We reiterate that under international humanitarian law, medical facilities, civilians, and first responders must be respected and protected. All feasible steps must be taken to support their work and ensure their safety.   We urgently call for the respect and protection of those who play essential roles in safeguarding  life and dignity amidst armed conflict.

My last day of posts from Syria. Before joining the ICRC, I spent 15 years in the British Army. It sounds odd, but you’re more sheltered in the military: in the ICRC you see how conflict affects civilians. 📸12 y/o Youssef was injured by a piece of ordnance he was playing with.

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Will here, back for day 2 of my social media updates. With so much ordnance scattered across Syria, the risks to civilians are huge. Clearing the country will take decades (even then, I’m being optimistic). 📸 My colleague & I disposing of a projectile.

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Hi, I’m Will, weapon contamination (WEC) coordinator in Syria with the @icrc.org. For the next 3 days, I'll post about my work disposing of explosive ordnance in one of the most contaminated countries in the world. 📸 My team and I on disposal duty in rural Damascus

🌍 Conflict + climate change = humanitarian disaster People caught in conflict are among the most impacted by climate change. The challenges they face are compounded by violence as well as the changing environment.

📍 #Afghanistan | 12 y/o Ehsan has cerebral palsy. In 2018, he began treatment at the ICRC physical rehabilitation centre in Kabul and is now enrolled in the centre’s futsal initiative, which uses sports as a pathway to healing. www.icrc.org/en/article/a...

Afghanistan: Futsal for empowering children with disabilities

Launched in 2010, the ICRC’s futsal initiative is focused on the long-term physical rehabilitation and social inclusion of children with disabilities in Afghanistan.

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