GAZA CITY (BN24) — Hamas said Sunday it is willing to allow Red Cross aid to reach Israeli hostages held in Gaza, but only under strict conditions, including the establishment of permanent humanitarian corridors and a suspension of Israeli aerial operations during aid deliveries.
The announcement came as international condemnation intensified over a recently released video showing an Israeli hostage in severely deteriorated condition. The footage, widely circulated online, depicts Evyatar David — a man abducted by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack on a southern Israel music festival — appearing gaunt and emaciated, with his ribs visibly protruding.
Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, called the images “appalling” and said they “expose the barbarity of Hamas.” Her remarks echoed a wave of outrage across Europe and North America as human rights organizations demanded immediate access to the hostages.
Abu Obeidah, a spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, said the group was prepared to cooperate with the Red Cross if Israel met its terms. In a statement released late Sunday, Obeidah claimed the group does not deliberately withhold food from captives, insisting that hostages “eat from what our fighters and all our people eat.”
However, he made clear that no aid would be delivered unless Israel guarantees unimpeded access for humanitarian groups and suspends all forms of air traffic during the transfer of supplies. “Humanitarian corridors must be opened in a normal and permanent manner,” he said. “The cessation of enemy aerial sorties of all kinds during the times when the parcels for the captives are being received is also a requirement.”
Hamas’s response comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu steps up efforts to secure aid for hostages, many of whom are believed to be in declining health after nearly 10 months in captivity. Netanyahu said he had spoken with Julien Lerisson, the regional head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and urged direct involvement in delivering food and medicine to those still being held in Gaza.
“The lie of starvation propagated by Hamas is spreading worldwide,” Netanyahu said. “Systematic starvation is being carried out against Israeli hostages.”
The hostages, taken during the October 7 attack, are at the center of an ongoing crisis that has deepened Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and drawn increased international scrutiny of Hamas’s actions. Over 1,200 people were killed during the attack, which involved coordinated raids by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups. The hostages, including women and children, were dragged into Gaza amid scenes of chaos and bloodshed.
In a separate development, a senior Hamas official said the October 7 assault had served a broader political purpose by compelling the international community to acknowledge Palestinian statehood. Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, told Al Jazeera the attack had “forced the world to open its eyes to the Palestinian cause.”
“Why are all these countries recognising Palestine now?” Hamad asked. “Had any country dared to recognise the state of Palestine prior to October 7?”
France, the United Kingdom, and Canada have each announced plans to support Palestinian statehood recognition at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session. Israeli officials have sharply condemned these efforts, calling them a “reward for terrorism.”
The Israeli government maintains that Hamas is using civilians and hostages as leverage, while subjecting its own population to the consequences of the ongoing conflict. Netanyahu has vowed to continue military operations until all hostages are returned and Hamas’s military infrastructure is dismantled.
The debate over hostages and humanitarian aid now forms a critical fault line in the larger geopolitical struggle over Gaza, as calls for ceasefires and international mediation grow louder. With mounting pressure from Western allies and human rights observers, the question remains whether Israel and Hamas can find a temporary path to allow life-saving supplies to reach those caught in the middle.
