Hamas has said it will co-ordinate with the Red Cross to deliver aid to the hostages it holds in Gaza, if Israel ends air strikes and opens permanent humanitarian corridors.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross to help the hostages, amid outrage in Israel sparked by videos showing two emaciated captives.
This came as at least 70 Palestinians − including 37 people seeking aid − were killed in Israeli attacks on Sunday, official news agency Wafa reported.
Hamas said it would only allow the Red Cross access to the hostages if food and aid were distributed across all areas of Gaza. The Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said the hostages were not “intentionally” starved but that they would not receive special food privileges at a time of starvation in the enclave.
Over recent days, Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad have released three videos showing two hostages seized during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war. The images of Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David, both of whom appeared weak and malnourished, have fuelled renewed calls in Israel for a truce and hostage release deal.
Mr Netanyahu's office on Saturday said he had spoken with the families of the two hostages and “expressed profound shock over the materials distributed by the terror organisations”.
Of the 251 hostages taken during the Hamas attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza − including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Six more people died of starvation or malnutrition in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the enclave's health ministry said on Sunday, as Israel said it allowed a delivery of fuel to the enclave.
Egypt's state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV said two lorries carrying 107 tonnes of diesel were set to enter Gaza, months after Israel severely restricted aid access to the enclave.
There was no confirmation of whether the lorries had entered.
Medical sources and witnesses said that Israeli troops opened fire at civilians waiting for aid at different locations in the enclave, killing at least 37 people − including seven near the southern city of Khan Younis. At least another 33 people were killed in other attacks, said officials.
Mr Netanyahu is “pushing for the release the hostages through decisive military victory,” according to a diplomatic source quoted by local media. The unnamed source said he was in touch with the US on the back of a visit by Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
In response to the reports, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum condemned an expansion of the war and said Mr Netanyahu was “leading Israel and the hostages to the abyss.”
