Red Cross calls for ‘safe, dignified’ hostage transfers after chaotic Gaza handover

After a hostage release turned chaotic in Khan Younis earlier today, the International Committee of the Red Cross urges such handovers be carried out “in a safe and dignified manner.”

“We are relieved that more people have been safely returned home,” says ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric in a statement. “However, today’s conditions underscore the importance of all parties upholding their agreements and ensuring operations take place in a safe and dignified manner. The security of these operations must be assured, and we urge for improvements in the future.”

During the transfer, thousands of angry Palestinians mobbed vans carrying the hostages, turning a short walk to waiting Red Cross vehicles into a fraught ordeal for hostages Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes, as well as five Thai nationals kidnapped on October 7, 2023. A fuming Israel responded by delaying the release of 110 Palestinian prisoners for several hours until it could secure a guarantee that such scenes would not be repeated.

In keeping with the agency’s position of neutrality, the ICRC does not place blame on any party or side for the situation.

“Ahead of every transfer, the ICRC emphasizes to the parties the importance of ensuring the safety of all those involved, particularly those being released,” the organization says. “The ICRC does not control the time of the release, the place, or the surrounding environment. The details and logistics are determined by the parties themselves.”