ICRC teams are also prepared to scale-up the delivery of life-saving aid safely to civilians in desperate need across the Gaza Strip. A rapid and unhindered flow of humanitarian assistance must be allowed and facilitated. With acute food shortages worsening by the day, civilians in Gaza must have immediate and sustained access to food, along with safe water, medical and hygiene supplies, and other essentials needed to survive and live in dignity. The ICRC also stands ready to visit Palestinian detainees in Israeli places of detention.
Only a lasting agreement between the parties can end the suffering endured by hostages and their families as well as the millions in Gaza who are struggling to secure the essentials for survival.
The window for saving lives in Gaza is closing. The time to act is now.
In accordance with her role, ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric spoke yesterday with President Isaac Herzog to try to secure humanitarian access, ensure respect for international humanitarian law, and alleviate suffering in the region. This includes efforts to facilitate the release of hostages and detainees, as well as to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those in need.
Note to editors: Since October 2023, the ICRC has repeatedly called for the immediate release of all hostages and continuously requested information on them and their current health conditions.
Over that period, the ICRC has facilitated the release of 148 hostages and 1,709 detainees. The ICRC has also facilitated the return of human remains, allowing families to mourn their loved ones with dignity.
The ICRC was not involved in negotiating the agreements that pave the way for release operations. At the request of the parties, the ICRC facilitated release operations as a neutral intermediary.
For more information about ICRC’s work in Israel and the occupied territories and our role during release operations, please visit here.
About the ICRC
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a neutral, impartial and independent organization with an exclusively humanitarian mandate that stems from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. It helps people around the world affected by armed conflict and other violence, doing everything it can to protect their lives and dignity and to relieve their suffering, often alongside its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners.
