Hamas permits Red Cross to deliver aid to captives under specified terms
In a shocking development, Hamas, the Islamist group in Gaza, has announced its readiness to allow the Red Cross to supply food and medicine to Israeli hostages under certain conditions. The group is currently holding an estimated 20 living hostages in its tunnels under inhumane conditions, and the images of the hostages released by Hamas have shocked the Israeli public and many people worldwide.
Recent videos released by Hamas show two of these hostages, two young men, in a state of acute malnutrition, waning physical strength, and emotional distress. Israel suspects that Hamas deliberately brought their hostages to the brink of starvation to pressure the Netanyahu government with these horrifying images.
Hamas's condition for allowing Red Cross aid to the Israeli hostages is the opening of humanitarian corridors for the passage of food and medicine into all Gaza areas. The group's military wing issued a statement specifying that access for aid to hostages would be granted only if humanitarian corridors are established for the safe and unimpeded delivery of assistance not just to the hostages but across Gaza generally.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has expressed its preparedness to bring aid and attend to hostages' needs but emphasizes that a rapid and unhindered flow of humanitarian assistance must be facilitated to civilians in Gaza as well. They highlight the urgent need due to acute food shortages and worsening conditions.
In addition to the 20 living hostages, Hamas is also holding the remains of another 28 to 30 abducted people. Hamas seeks to end the Gaza war on its terms by releasing the hostages if Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip and stops all military operations against Hamas.
Israel, on the other hand, demands the disarmament of Hamas and the exile of their leaders, which Hamas rejects outright. Months of efforts to achieve a ceasefire and the release of hostages through indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas have so far been unsuccessful.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated that he had spoken with the regional head of the ICRC, Julien Lerisson, asking for immediate aid for the Israeli hostages. The announcement was made by a spokesperson for the Al-Kassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas, in their Telegram channel.
Israel is also asked to cease all aerial surveillance during the time aid reaches the hostages. The situation remains tense, and both sides are under pressure to find a resolution that ensures the safety and well-being of the hostages and the civilian population in Gaza.
[1] Al-Kassam Brigades Telegram channel statement, [link] [2] Hamas spokesperson statement, [link] [3] ICRC statement, [link] [4] United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report, [link]
- The ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas over the release of Israeli hostages, as well as general humanitarian aid in Gaza, have extended to discussions about ceasing aerial surveillance by Israel during the delivery of aid.
- The politically charged landscape of war-and-conflicts, general-news, and crime-and-justice in Gaza is further complicated by the condition set by Hamas for the aid delivery, which includes the establishment of humanitarian corridors and the end of military operations against them.
