Hamas has said it is prepared to coordinate with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to deliver humanitarian aid to hostages held in Gaza, but only if Israel halts airstrikes and permanently opens humanitarian corridors during aid distribution.
The statement, issued Sunday, followed international outrage over a Hamas-released video showing Israeli hostage Evyatar David, visibly emaciated and digging what he claimed was his own grave. The disturbing footage prompted condemnation from the U.S., UK, France, and Germany, and led to an emergency U.N. Security Council session scheduled for Tuesday.
According to Israeli officials, 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with only 20 believed to be alive. Hamas has so far denied humanitarian groups access to the captives, and families say they’ve received little to no information about their loved ones.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he had appealed to the ICRC to deliver aid to the hostages, while The Hostages Families Forum demanded their immediate release. “Every hostage who dies will be on Hamas’s hands,” the group stated.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s humanitarian crisis continues to escalate. The enclave’s health ministry reported six more starvation-related deaths in the past 24 hours, raising the total to at least 175, including 93 children, since the war began. Fuel shortages have crippled hospital operations, forcing prioritization of only the most critical cases.
On Sunday, two fuel trucks carrying 107 tons of diesel were reportedly set to enter Gaza via Egypt. Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) confirmed that four U.N. fuel tankers entered to support hospitals, bakeries, and essential services.
Aid remains inadequate, despite recent Israeli steps to increase deliveries, including daily pauses in fighting, air drops, and the designation of protected aid routes. COGAT said over 23,000 tons of aid in 1,200 trucks entered Gaza last week, though hundreds still await distribution by humanitarian agencies.
Belgium joined France and Jordan in airdropping aid packages over Gaza, while the Hamas-run government said 1,600 aid trucks had arrived since late July. However, many have been looted by desperate civilians and armed groups, complicating distribution efforts.
Israeli airstrikes and gunfire reportedly killed at least 80 people across Gaza on Sunday, including civilians attempting to reach aid distribution points. Among the victims was a Palestinian Red Crescent Society staffer, killed when an Israeli strike hit its headquarters in Khan Younis.
The conflict, which began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed over 1,200 people and took 251 hostages in a surprise cross-border assault, has since claimed more than 60,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza health officials. The war’s end remains elusive as humanitarian agencies continue to warn of a looming famine and escalating civilian toll.
Written By Rodney Mbua
