ALT Civilians are paying an unacceptable price as a result of military operations in the Middle East. The deaths, injuries and destruction in Saudi Arabia in recent days are yet another example of the devastating toll that hostilities are taking on civilians. In Yemen, the scale of death, displacement and damage to civilian infrastructure, including in Aden and Sana'a, is mounting at an alarming rate.\u201D Mirjana Spoljaric ICRC President

ALT Civilians and civilian objects must be spared from attack. Parties to conflict must, at all times, distinguish between civilians, civilian objects and military targets.\u202F Strikes on ports, airports and essential infrastructure risk severe consequences for communities who rely on them. Any intensification of hostilities will be disastrous for tens of millions of people. All efforts to de-escalate are urgent and necessary.\u201D Mirjana Spoljaric ICRC President

ALT As part of our humanitarian work, we received the remains of a deceased person who had been in the custody of the Western Bloc \u2018Comandante Jacobo Arenas\u2019 (a non-state armed group). Our team in Colombia transferred the human remains to the competent authorities for identification and subsequent dignified handover to the person\u2019s family. We thank the parties involved for their trust in our role as a neutral intermediary.

ALT Surging violence, increasing restrictions on movement and an acceleration of settlement expansion are causing serious harm to civilians, making everyday life untenable for the civilian population. \"The frequent and severe violence must be brought to an end. Authorities have a responsibility to protect the population from violence, including when that violence is inflicted by settlers. What international humanitarian law says on the protection of private and public property, and on the population\u2019s access to essential services, must be respected.\" Julien Lerisson, ICRC\u2019s head of delegation for Israel and the occupied territories

ALT Cultural property and places of worship are not a target. International humanitarian law is clear: Even during wars, museums, libraries, places of worship, archaeological sites, and historic monuments are protected.

ALT Today, we delivered 22 tonnes of life-saving medical supplies to Sana\u2019a to replenish dwindling stocks and support hospitals responding to a growing number of war-wounded patients in Yemen. The delivery is part of a wider emergency response to intensifying fighting that has placed health-care facilities across Yemen under immense strain, including in Marib governorate, where an ICRC mobile surgical team has been deployed since late August. \u201CThe recent escalation in hostilities has overwhelmed hospitals, which are grappling with critical shortages of medical supplies and an influx of war-wounded patients,\u201D said Christine Cipolla, ICRC\u2019s head of delegation in Yemen. \u201CThis urgent support will help front-line hospitals continue life-saving care to those in desperate need.\u201D

ALT Jerusalem / Tel Aviv \u2013 Today, an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) team held a technical meeting, assessment and tour of a military detention facility in Israel. The team neither met nor had direct contact with any detainees. Today\u2019s assessment included positive discussions with the detaining authorities and a tour of parts of the facility, as part of our ongoing efforts to resume ICRC visits to detainees held in Israeli places of detention. \u201CThis meeting is a step in the right direction towards resuming proper visits to detainees held in Israeli places of detention. The ICRC will continue discussing the modalities of such visits with all relevant authorities in order to enable their resumption,\u201D said Julien Lerisson, ICRC\u2019s head of delegation for Israel and the Occupied Territories.

ALT The recent escalation of hostilities in the Middle East affecting Yemen and Saudi Arabia risks a further expansion of conflict in the region that, if not contained, could worsen the already devastating humanitarian situation faced by millions of people. Concrete steps must, at all times, be taken to protect civilians and essential infrastructure. Humanitarian action is critical to responding to the consequences of conflict, but it can never replace respect for international humanitarian law and political commitment to de-escalate. If the fighting continues, we fear it will lead to more deaths and injuries, population displacement and a potentially catastrophic disruption of essential services and infrastructure such as health care, water, fuel and electricity.

ALT At the request of the relevant parties, we facilitated the transfer of five individuals released from Israeli detention to Lebanon. One individual was transferred on Thursday, and four others on Friday, with full respect for the safety and dignity of the individuals involved. Our role in this operation was purely humanitarian, acting as a neutral intermediary between Israel and Lebanon. Many families in Lebanon are still waiting for answers about the fate of loved ones who may be detained, deceased or otherwise unaccounted for. We also stand ready to act as a neutral intermediary in future humanitarian operations whenever the parties reach an agreement. Since October 2023, our teams have not had access to detainees held in Israeli places of detention, including Lebanese nationals.

ALT Why are we concerned about the use of AI in the military domain? AI systems should support human decision-making, rather than impair or replace it, as they could accelerate the pace and scale of warfare, increase unpredictability and reduce human control over the use of force, creating serious risks for civilians. Human judgement is essential to ensuring compliance with the rules of war and protecting civilians.

ALT \"Wars fought without rules transform wars between combatants into wars against civilians. We cannot succumb to a political culture that erases the lessons born out of world wars, out of the ashes of mass destruction and genocide.\u201D