Hamas Agrees For Aid To Hostages In Gaza If Israel Halts Strikes, Opens Humanitarian Corridors
Hamas offers to work with the Red Cross to aid hostages in Gaza if Israel opens humanitarian corridors and stops airstrikes,following outrage over a video of hostage Evyatar David.
Palestinian militant group Hamas on Sunday said it is willing to coordinate with the Red Cross to deliver aid to Israeli hostages it holds in Gaza only if Israel permanently opens humanitarian corridors and halts airstrikes during aid delivery, according to news agency Reuters.
Hamas' offer follows intense global criticism sparked after it released a disturbing video showing Israeli hostage Evyatar David in an emaciated state.
In the footage, David, visibly skeletal, was seen digging what he described as his own grave. The image of the person filming—whose arm appears healthy—has further fueled outrage.
Western nations including the US, UK, France, and Germany condemned the video, and Israel confirmed the United Nations Security Council will hold a special session on Tuesday to address the issue of hostages in Gaza.
The Reuters report, citing Israeli authorities, mentioned that 50 hostages are still in Gaza, with only 20 believed to be alive. Hamas has so far denied humanitarian organizations any access to them, leaving families desperate for information.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said he urged the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide humanitarian aid to the hostages during a call with the ICRC's local head in Israel.
A statement from The Hostages Families Forum, which represents relatives of those being held in Gaza, said Hamas' comments about the hostages cannot hide that it 'has been holding innocent people in impossible conditions for over 660 days," and demanded their immediate release, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, Gaza's humanitarian crisis continues to deepen. Six more people reportedly died from starvation or malnutrition in the last 24 hours, bringing the total death toll from hunger-related causes to 175, including 93 children, according to the local health ministry.
Israel said it allowed a new fuel delivery into Gaza on Sunday. The ongoing conflict, which began after Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed over 1,200 people, has resulted in more than 60,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza health officials.
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