The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said it is in contact with Israel and Hamas in a bid to negotiate the release of hostages taken into Gaza.
A minimum of 150 Israelis and foreigners, which include soldiers, civilians, children and women — have been held hostage in the Gaza Strip since Hamas’s surprise Saturday attack on Israel.
In a statement, Fabrizio Carboni, ICRC’s regional director for the Near and Middle East, said: “As a neutral intermediary we stand ready to conduct humanitarian visits; facilitate communication between hostages and family members; and facilitate any eventual release.”
Carboni said international humanitarian law forbids taking hostages, and anyone detained must be released immediately.
The ICRC urged “both sides to reduce the suffering of civilians”.
In retaliation for the recent attack, Israel has persistently attacked Gaza and imposed a total siege on the territory of over two million people, cutting off water, electricity and fuel supplies.
Hamas has stated that four of the captives died in Israeli strikes and threatened to kill others if civilian targets were bombed without prior warning.
According to the UN, over 338,000 people have fled their homes in Gaza while the European Union has requested a “humanitarian corridor” to allow civilians to flee the enclave’s fifth war in 15 years.
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