ICRC to support implementation of Israel-Hamas agreement
Keystone-SDA
The ICRC will help reunite Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees with their families under the agreement between Israel and Hamas. This should be a turning point after two years of unthinkable horror, said its president Mirjana Spoljaric in Geneva on Friday.
This situation offers an opportunity to save lives and reduce suffering,” she added. The staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Israel will be working on the operation.
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“From a logistical and security point of view, this is huge compared with what we have been able to do in the past”, Christian Cardon, a spokesman for the organisation, told Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA. The agreement provides for the return of 47 hostages, alive or dead, and more than 1,900 Palestinian detainees, in a timeframe that anticipates the operation taking place next Monday or Tuesday.
“There is a desire to move quickly” among the parties to the conflict, added the spokesman, stressing the ICRC is ready to provide the necessary support.
“The pressure is enormous and we have to be prepared for any last-minute surprises,” he said. Delegates, as well as medical and psychological experts, will be active.
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The humanitarian cost of Israel’s war in Gaza
Caution
The organisation remains cautious. “There is still no ceasefire, no releases, no massive influx of humanitarian aid”, points out Mr Cardon. “All that is still hypothetical”, he added.
The ICRC also hopes to be able to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip in complete safety. On Thursday, it was able to distribute medical equipment and medicines in Gaza City to the Palestinian Red Crescent hospital for the first time since the temporary departure of its staff from this northern part of the Palestinian territory ten days ago.
The spokesman spoke of “the distress of the families still present”. Some have refused to follow the Israeli order to evacuate Gaza City. Either because they are unable to do so, or because they want to stay close to the debris of their homes, where there may still be bodies that could not be recovered.
Guaranteeing access
From now on, the spokesman insists, “everyone must have access” to assistance throughout the country, including the elderly.
“The next few days will be crucial”, says the organisation’s president. She called on the parties to the agreement to honour their commitments on the ceasefire, the return of hostages and detainees, and humanitarian assistance.
Translated from French by DeepL/ds
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