Hamas Expresses Willingness for ICRC to Supply Food to Israeli Detainees in Gaza amid Israel-Palestine Dispute

Hamas has indicated its willingness to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide aid to Israeli captives in Gaza, following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appeal to the Geneva-based organization to intervene. This announcement followed the release of videos by Palestinian groups showing Israeli captives in Gaza, where over 2 million Palestinians are suffering from a starvation crisis. Netanyahu communicated with Julian Larson, the head of the ICRC delegation to Israel, requesting the group’s immediate assistance in delivering food and medical aid to captured individuals in Gaza. Netanyahu accused Hamas of spreading false information about starvation conditions, contrasting it with the “systematic starvation” faced by Israeli hostages. The spokesperson for the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed faction, responded that captives in Gaza are subjected to the same conditions as the local population and denied any special treatment due to the ongoing crisis. However, the group expressed a positive stance toward assisting the Red Cross in providing food and medicine to enemy prisoners. To facilitate this, the spokesperson stressed the necessity of establishing permanent humanitarian corridors for the delivery of food and medicine to all areas of the Gaza Strip, with a halt on Israeli attacks during aid delivery. The ICRC has expressed its dismay over the videos of captives in Gaza, emphasizing the urgent need for access to these hostages. The organization’s ability to assist, however, is contingent upon the cooperation of all involved parties. Additionally, the ICRC has condemned the killing of a Palestine Red Crescent Society staff member in a clearly marked building in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, though no specific party was held responsible. In response to the situation, families of captives have denounced Netanyahu’s push for a military resolution as posing a direct threat to their loved ones. They argue that after 22 months of believing in a military solution, now even before a comprehensive agreement is reached, such a solution is being deemed futile. The ongoing crisis sees approximately 50 captives in Gaza, with many feared dead. As of Saturday, only 36 aid trucks were allowed into Gaza, while 22,000 awaited entry to provide essential supplies to Palestinians. The United Nations Office in Geneva has underscored the severity of the situation, declaring that one million women and girls in Gaza are now starving, deeming this situation both “unacceptable” and in need of immediate resolution. They advocate for the delivery of vital aid, a ceasefire, and the release of all hostages. The Gaza Ministry of Health has confirmed at least 175 deaths from starvation, including that of 17-year-old Atef Abu Khater, whose weight significantly dropped before his death.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/4/hamas-says-open-to-icrc-delivering-food-to-israeli-captives-in-gaza?traffic_source=rss