By the middle of the 19th century,
modern warfare had become increasingly indiscriminate. It was not uncommon for a
combat medic on the field of battle to be fired upon and to die while collecting and caring for the wounded. There was a growing recognition of the need to distinguish medical personnel from combatants, to make it easier for military commanders to avoid and protect them. Allowing each country to develop its own emblem would have led to confusion. What was needed to save lives was a single neutral emblem that all countries recognized and used equally. The
1864 Geneva Convention establishes that a distinctive emblem should be worn by medical personnel on the field of battle as an indication of their humanitarian mission and their non-combatant status. At that time, the chosen symbol was a red cross on a white background. Muslim nations have objected to this symbol due to its resemblance to the
Christian cross. As early as 1876, the
Ottoman Empire introduced the Red Crescent as an alternative, less Christian emblem. Additional emblems have been proposed, including the red
lion and sun of
Persia, the double emblem (both the red cross and red crescent together) by the Red Cross Society of
Eritrea, and the red
Star of David by
Magen David Adom of Israel. Over time the adoption of a single, universal emblem has been met with two recurrent difficulties: • They may be perceived as having religious, cultural or political connotations. This perception conflicts with neutral, humanitarian status of medical personnel in armed conflicts. • These emblems are tied to membership in the
National Societies. Members are required to use the red cross or red crescent emblem. Since
Magen David Adom was unwilling to give up their red
Star of David, they were not granted membership. Without membership, they were not eligible for certain protections under the
Geneva Conventions. In 2005, an international delegation finally achieved a comprehensive solution to these difficulties with the adoption of Protocol III. Magen David Adom is granted protections under the Geneva Conventions as long as they display the Red Crystal in the context of international conflict. As of July 2025, Protocol III has been
ratified or
acceded to by 80 countries and signed by a further 20. The treaty came into force on 14 January 2007. == Governing rules ==