Amman, Feb 28 (Petra) -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Saturday called for upholding the rules of war as military escalation in the Middle East starts. ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric said in a press release that military escalation in the Middle East is igniting a dangerous chain reaction across the region, with potentially devastating consequences for civilians.

"Upholding the rules of war is an obligation and not a choice. In international armed conflicts, international humanitarian law, in particular all four Geneva Conventions, apply," she said.

Spoljaric said civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, homes and schools must be spared from attack, and medical personnel and first responders must be allowed to carry out their work safely.

"The ICRC has teams on the ground in Iran, Israel and across the region and stands ready to respond to needs within our mandate and where we can operate, together with our Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners," she said.

However, humanitarian aid cannot match the pace or scale of suffering caused by continuous conflict; political will is needed to achieve peace and prevent further death and destruction, she added.

//Petra//SS