Ambulances in Gaza must be given systematic round-the-clock access to the wounded so that they can save as many lives as possible, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday.

"Medical emergency personnel...must be granted safe unlimited passage so that they can reach the wounded, treat them and, if necessary, evacuate them to a medical facility," ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger said in a statement.

Kellenberger welcomed the daily three-hour suspension of attacks announced by Israel, which "has at least temporarily eased the situation of the civilian population."

But he stressed that "it must be possible to evacuate the wounded at all times, not just during the three hours."

Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups are obliged under international humanitarian law to do everything possible to search for, collect and evacuate the wounded and sick without delay, he added.

International humanitarian law also stipulates that medical personnel, hospitals and other medical units must be respected and protected, Kellenberger said.

The same holds for medical vehicles, such as ambulances, exclusively assigned to helping the wounded and sick. Attacks on medical personnel are prohibited, as are attacks on facilities used exclusively for medical tasks, he added.

"We have already had cases of wounded people dying because the ambulances couldn't reach them in time," he said.

"If these fundamental rules of international humanitarian law are not respected, more people will die who could have been saved," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency January 9, 2009)