Hamas: Red Cross allowed to care for hostages under conditions

A spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of the terrorist organization, announced on their Telegram channel that they would respond positively to a request from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in this regard. The condition, however, is that Israel provides comprehensive and permanent supplies to the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip. In addition, Israel must cease all aerial reconnaissance during the period in which help reaches the hostages.

According to his office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had recently spoken to the ICRC's regional head of delegation Julien Lerisson and asked him to ensure that the Red Cross immediately supplies the Israeli hostages with food and medicine.

Hamas is holding the last estimated 20 living hostages in its tunnels in the Gaza Strip in inhumane conditions. In recent days, it has released videos showing two of these hostages, two young men, in a state of acute malnutrition, dwindling physical strength and emotional brokenness.

Horrific images of hostages close to starvation

The images shocked the Israeli public and many people around the world at the weekend. Hamas had already used hostage videos as a means of psychological warfare in the past. In Israel, it is suspected that in this case the Islamists deliberately brought their kidnap victims to the brink of starvation in order to exert pressure on the Netanyahu government with the horrifying images.

Hamas is seeking an end to the Gaza war on its own terms. It would release the hostages if Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip and ceased all hostilities against Hamas. Israel, in turn, is demanding that the Islamists disarm and that their cadres go into exile. Hamas firmly rejects this.

In addition to the 20 living hostages, the terrorist organization is holding the mortal remains of another 28 to 30 abductees. Months of efforts to bring about a ceasefire through indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas and to secure the release of the hostages have so far been unsuccessful.