2023-11-15 03:04:00
Israel said it lacks “proof of life” of the hostages who were taken to the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian organization Hamas, while relatives of the kidnapped people began a five-day march in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to ask for their release.
“So far, none of our hostages have met with the Red Cross (…) we have no proof of life,” Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said at a press conference at UN headquarters in the Swiss city of Geneva. , following meeting with the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric.
The foreign minister stated that his country sent food, water and medicine to Gaza, but that so far no hostages have been examined by the Red Cross, which he asked to “exercise stronger pressure” for their release.
The work of the Red Cross
Some 240 people, including twenty Argentine nationals, were captured by Hamas militiamen during their incursion into Israeli territory on October 7, in which they killed another 1,200, most of them civilians.
This attack unleashed a new escalation in the region and led the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu to launch an air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip, governed by Hamas, which has already left more than 11,200 dead, including more than 4,600 children.
Some relatives of hostages were present in Geneva, where they held banners with images of their loved ones and messages in favor of their release.
The president of the ICRC assured that “she has been persistently interceding for the hostages who are in Gaza” and to that end she communicated “directly with Hamas and other actors that may have influence on the parties to the armed conflict.”
“International humanitarian law prohibits the taking of hostages. We continue to insist on their release and are doing everything in our power to gain access to them. We cannot do it alone; Agreements must be made to allow the ICRC to carry out this work safely,” Spoljaric said, according to a statement.
The president of the ICRC also expressed her concern regarding the fact that among those kidnapped “there are children, elderly people and people with disabilities, as well as other vulnerable people”:
“I want to convey to you the peace of mind that we will not stop working for their release. Please know that the ICRC cannot force its way into the place where the hostages are held. We can only visit them through agreements, such as the one that guarantees safe access,” he assured.
A long march
In Israel, relatives of hostages and missing people began a 63-kilometer march this Tuesday from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, where they hope to reach Netanyahu’s office to demand the “immediate release of all hostages.”
Behind this initiative is Yuval Haran, whose father, Avshalom, was murdered and his mother, Shoshan, was kidnapped along with six other members of his family, explained the organizers of the march.
Carrying portraits of the hostages on black T-shirts or posters, more than a hundred relatives and their supporters began the march at noon from the square of the Museum of Fine Arts in Tel Aviv, which became the rallying point for their cause.
Biden optimism
On the other hand, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, was optimistic regarding the possible release of hostages
“Hold on. We’re coming,” Biden said to the nearly 240 citizens held captive by the Palestinian militia, and among whom are not only Israelis, but also international citizens.
“I have been talking to the people involved (in the negotiations) every day. I think it’s going to happen, but I don’t want to go into details,” said the US president.
The United States authorities already reported over the weekend that one of the hostages taken by the Palestinian militia is an American minor of just 3 years old. Several countries, especially Qatar, began talks to release those held captive.
Difficulties for mediation
On Sunday, Netanyahu spoke in an interview with NBC regarding a possible deal to release hostages. Until now, the Israeli premier had rejected international calls for a ceasefire in Gaza that did not include the release of all Hamas hostages.
Five hostages have been released so far, including a female soldier rescued by the Israeli Army and four American women who were released thanks to mediation by Qatar.
Qatar urged Israel and Hamas to seize the opportunity offered by its mediation to negotiate the release of hostages, while stating that the worsening situation in Gaza is hampering its efforts.
“The deterioration” of the situation in Gaza makes mediation difficult, warned Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed ben Mohammed Al-Ansari at a press conference in Doha.
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