TEHRAN – From the beginning of the imposed war on February 28 till April 9, a total of 7,984 relief teams consisting of more than 28,000 rescuers affiliated with the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has carried out more than 2,000 rescue missions.

Relief workers have participated in rescue operations such as searching and rescuing, and removing debris on daily basis, IRNA reported. 

A majority of rescue missions are conducted in provinces of Tehran, 522 operations, Hormozgan, 177 operations, Khuzestan, 151 operations, and Isfahan, 148 operations.

All in all, 125,392 civilian units, including residential and business ones, are destroyed, with some being totally damaged during attacks. 

A total of 994 civilians trapped under the debris during US-Israeli airstrikes were saved by the IRCS relief teams through search and rescue operations.

Some 257 women were martyred, three of whom were pregnant; the number of martyred individuals under the age of 18 amounted to 220. 

About 20 medical centers, storehouse, and branches of the IRCS, as well as 49 rescue vehicles are severely damaged.

During 40-day strikes, 18 IRCS rescuers were wounded, and four lost their lives while carrying out their duties.

Some 2,006 IRCS consultants received 152,427 calls, providing psychological supports to the fellowmen suffering from traumas caused by the war.

*************Be the voice of suffering of Iranian nation

President of the IRCS, Pirhossein Kolivand has called on the UN Special Envoy be the voice of the suffering of the Iranian nation. 

Jean Arnault, UN Special Envoy for the Middle East, in a meeting with Kolivand,  discussed the war crimes and damages on civilian areas during U.S.-Israel airstrikes on Iran.

At the meeting, which was attended by officials, relief workers, and a large number of representatives from mass media, Kolivand presented the latest statistics on the damage inflicted on civilian areas and facilities, stating: “So far, six weeks into this war, 857 schools and educational facilities, 338 hospitals, clinics, and emergency centers, 49 relief logistics facilities, 43 ambulances, 20 Red Crescent centers, and three Red Crescent helicopters have been hit by missiles, damaged, or destroyed.”

The President of the Iranian Red Crescent said that four aid workers were killed and many others injured while carrying out search and rescue and relief missions for the affected people during humanitarian operations in this war.

The official elaborated the various aspects of war crimes in the attacks, saying you certainly have laws that, under all circumstances, prohibit attacks on these areas and classify targeting them as war crimes. Yet those who enact these laws are the very ones who violate them.

He emphasized that the Iranian Red Crescent Society, as an independent institution, has submitted and reported its documentation and observations of these crimes to the United Nations (UN), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Criminal Court (ICC), and all relevant international bodies.

The official presented a map of the targets struck in civilian, residential, and commercial areas, along with videos showing Red Crescent rescuers saving people trapped under the rubble, to the UN Special Envoy.

While showing a video of consecutive airstrike explosions near Khatam al-Anbiya Hospital in Tehran, depicted the panic of patients and the efforts of nurses and medical staff to evacuate them and transfer newborns out of the hospital, the President of the Red Crescent stated that at the time of these attacks, 21 patients were simultaneously undergoing cardiac surgery, and 16 operating rooms were active, and that the hospital sustained damage comparable to a 7.5-magnitude earthquake.

He stressed: “How long must international organizations remain silent in the face of these crimes? We provided humanitarian assistance under these conditions. Who can challenge these documents? I ask you, since you have come here and are witnessing these events firsthand, to awaken the consciences of the world and fulfill your legal responsibilities, as well as those of other organizations.”

During the meeting, the President of the Iranian Red Crescent Society presented additional videos of the Society’s relief and rescue operations amid the rubble created by the recent imposed war to the UN Envoy.

Kolivand stated clearly: “Be the voice of the suffering of the Iranian people. I urge you, and all international organizations, to take action to uphold the rights of those who have lost their lives in this war.”