Taiwanese trying to find missing relatives or friends amid the war between Israel and Hamas can ask the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China for help, the humanitarian organization said yesterday.
More than 338,000 people have been displaced after Israel launched airstrikes in the Gaza Strip following an attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, the Red Cross said, citing UN statistics.
The International Committee of the Red Cross’ Central Tracing Agency has helped reunite families displaced by wars, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China via CNA
The Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service, also offers tracing services and is linked to the Central Tracing Agency, it added.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense’s Home Front Command and the Israeli Police Department have formed a missing persons center to help locate people amid military conflicts, the Red Cross said.
Taiwanese who need to access tracing services should contact the Red Cross Society in Taipei, which would search for missing people via the International Committee of the Red Cross, it said.
As of yesterday, the Red Cross’ Taipei office had not received any requests to find missing people in the current conflict, staff members told the Taipei Times.
People can donate to meet increasing demand for humanitarian aid at the Red Cross’ donation page www.redcross.org.tw/english/home.jsp?serno=202211010005&ptype=2 or by contacting the Taipei office on (02) 2362-8232 or by e-mail at redcross@redcross.org.tw, it said.
Two Red Cross staff members died this week while on their way to rescue people in Israel, while 21 staff members working in the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East have died, the office said.
“We call for all parties to respect and protect humanitarian aid workers,” the organization said. “The parties at war should abide by international humanitarian law, which states that civilians, homes, schools, ambulances, hospitals, medical professionals, basic infrastructure and humanitarian aid workers should be respected and protected.”
“This would ensure that people receive timely help and medical treatment, and the dead are treated with dignity,” it added.
Separately, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has helped 156 Taiwanese to depart Israel, while 147 remained, as they believed there was no imminent threat.
The ministry condemns all forms of terrorist attacks and expresses solidarity with Israel, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Tel Aviv is in close contact with Taiwanese in Israel to provide assistance, Wu said.
The ministry would continue to watch developments in Israel and provide assistance to anyone who is affected and in need, he said.
Additional reporting by Liu Tzu-hsuan
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS