20-12-2023 (GENEVA) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) condemned the ongoing conflict in Gaza as a “moral failure” of the international community, expressing concern over the prolonged suffering and its lasting impact on generations in the region. ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric, who recently visited both the Gaza Strip and Israel, urged Israel and Hamas to forge a new agreement to bring an end to the hostilities.
Speaking at a press conference in Geneva on Tuesday (Dec 19), Spoljaric stated, “I have been speaking of moral failure because every day this continues is a day more where the international community hasn’t proven capable of ending such high levels of suffering and this will have an impact on generations not only in Gaza.”
Highlighting the need for a mutual agreement, she emphasized, “There’s nothing without an agreement by the two sides, so we urge them to keep negotiating…” Spoljaric’s comments specifically referenced the Israeli hostages taken to Gaza by Hamas gunmen during a violent incident in southern Israel on Oct 7.
She noted the complexity and sensitivity of hostage releases, stating, “The releases in themselves are highly complex, highly sensitive missions.” A truce mediated by Qatar and Egypt had held for a week at the end of November, resulting in the release of 110 hostages in Gaza in exchange for 240 Palestinian women and teenagers from Israeli jails.
However, the conflict reignited on Dec 1, leading to renewed hostilities. Israeli authorities declared some of the remaining hostages dead in absentia. While the ICRC had facilitated hostage releases during the truce, it faced criticism from some Israelis, with social media users likening the organization to a taxi service for driving hostages out of Gaza.
Responding to these criticisms, Spoljaric rejected the analogy, stating, “You don’t just go there and take the hostages and bring them out.” She described any comparison with an Uber or taxi service as “unacceptable and outrageous,” highlighting the risks taken by ICRC colleagues and the vulnerability of hostages during such operations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted last week that new negotiations were in progress to recover hostages still held by Hamas, following a meeting between Israel’s intelligence chief and the prime minister of Qatar. Spoljaric assured that the ICRC would be ready to assist once the parties reach a new agreement.
“We continue to talk to all sides to then be ready to operationalise the agreement that they reach,” she stated, underscoring the organization’s commitment to humanitarian efforts in the region.
