Israel demands ICRC access to Hamas-held hostages

Russian-Israeli Irena Tati was taken hostage by the Palestinian militan group Hamas in the October 7 attacks. She was later released in the context of a temporary ceasefire. Keystone / Christophe Petit Tesson

The Israeli army demanded on Wednesday that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) be given access to Israeli and foreign hostages held since October 7 by the Palestinian movement Hamas and its allies in the Gaza Strip. The territory is under intense Israeli bombardment.

“Every minute in captivity puts the lives” of the hostages at stake, said army spokesman Daniel Hagari, “the international community must act. The Red Cross must have access to the hostages”, he said.

A target of criticism in Israel, the ICRC told French news agency AFP at the end of November that it did not know where the hostages were, and could not access them because their captors had not agreed

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