Red Cross chief says she tried to arrange Gaza hostage visits through talks with Hamas's Haniyeh
She cited the organization's "strict insistence on neutrality" as having been vital in the eventual return of many of the Gaza hostages to Israel.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric discussed her attempts to arrange visits for Israeli hostages held in Gaza with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh during an interview with New York Times reporter Lulu Garcia-Navarro. The discussions were described as "tough" and "very frank." Spoljaric also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the subject, emphasizing the need for confidentiality.
When asked if the ICRC had access to the hostages, Spoljaric shook her head and described the issue as "much more complicated" than returning the hostages to Israel. She stated that the ICRC can only work with the tools it has and that the situation in Gaza was "nothing more complex, and to a certain extent also more brutal, than hostage-taking."
Spoljaric highlighted the importance of the ICRC's strict neutrality, which she said was crucial in securing many hostages' release. She argued that Israel had both a moral and legal obligation to allow visits to detainees, as capturing a soldier does not make them a criminal.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
