Israeli top diplomat pushes for ICRC access to Gaza hostages

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen held a meeting with ambassadors of 22 countries, including Russia, and called for allowing the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) staff to visit hostages in Gaza, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Twitter, Caliber.Az reports.

“אנחנו דורשים מהארגונים הבינ״ל ומהצלב האדום להגיע אל החטופים על מנת לוודא את מצבם והתנאים בהם הם מוחזקים".

שר החוץ @elicoh1 יחד עם 22 שגרירים ודיפלומטים ממדינות שיש להן חטופים, בקריאה לשחרור מיידי של החטופים ולאפשר ביקורים של הצלב האדום.

במפגש נכחו שגרירים מטנזניה, רוסיה,… pic.twitter.com/tUkOtPnFSr

— משרד החוץ (@IsraelHebrew) October 20, 2023

According to the statement, Israel demands that international organizations, including the ICRC, be allowed to visit the hostages held in Gaza so that doctors can check their condition.

The meeting with Cohen was attended by ambassadors from Russia, France, Italy, Hungary, Austria, Canada, the Netherlands, Serbia and other countries whose citizens are being held in Gaza by supporters of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas.

The Israeli military has told the families of 199 people that their loved ones had been taken hostage, according to Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesman. A preliminary assessment had suggested that the number was closer to 150 people.

The Israeli authorities have not yet publicly provided specific details about the identities of the victims, but military officials have said they included older people and children. Most were captured from small Israeli border towns.

Officials from France and several other countries are also looking into reports that their citizens may be among the captives. “The murdered and the missing come from over 30 countries, including the United Kingdom,” Britain’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, said. Ten British citizens were missing, some of whom were feared dead, Mr Sunak said.

The hostages were seized from homes in towns along Israel’s border with Gaza that were overrun by Palestinian gunmen on October 7, as well as from military bases and an enormous outdoor dance party.

They include civilians, soldiers, people with disabilities, children, grandparents and even a 9-month-old baby. Some are peace activists, part of collectives near the Gaza border whose members tend to be left of centre and supportive of peace initiatives and Palestinian rights. The hostages are also believed to include at least one Palestinian resident of Israel, a bus driver who spent the night near the outdoor party after driving Israelis there, his family said.