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Red Cross personnel in front of Israel's Ofer military prison
Photo: Ilia Yefimovich / dpa
The Israeli non-governmental organization (NGO) Shurat HaDin says it has sued the Red Cross for failing to provide assistance to the Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip. On behalf of the families of 24 of the 250 people abducted by Hamas, the organization filed a lawsuit in Jerusalem.
The group accuses the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) of failing in its mandate and "moral duty" and failing to visit the hostages, provide them with medical care and fight for their release.
"We cannot accept this disregard and disrespect for human life just because the hostages are Jews," said the NGO's director, Nizana Darschan-Leitner. She accused the ICRC of being "biased" and "indifferent to Israeli life."
Red Cross defends humanitarian diplomatic efforts
In response to an inquiry from the AFP news agency, the ICRC said that it had continuously demanded the release of the abducted people since the attack on Israel by the radical Islamic group Hamas on 7 October. "We are deeply affected and frustrated when we do not have access to people who need our help," a spokesperson said.
He also said his organization had met with Hamas "at all levels" and had made diplomatic humanitarian efforts to gain access to the hostages.
According to the Israeli government, 129 hostages are still in the hands of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Under a ceasefire brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, 105 hostages, including Israelis and some foreign nationals, were released in November in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
kim/AFP