Claims the Red Cross hasn’t visited hostages held by Hamas in Gaza need context

It’s been more than six months since the war between Israel and Hamas militants began on Oct. 7, 2023.

In early April, Hamas told negotiators they were unable to identify and locate 40 hostages they had captured who meet the criteria for an exchange under a proposed ceasefire deal. This admission has led U.S. intelligence officials to fear the hostages may already be dead.

On April 7, a viral Instagram post claimed the Red Cross has not visited the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza once since the start of the conflict. The Red Cross is an international humanitarian organization that helps people, including hostages, during times of armed conflict.

“It’s been half a year. Where’s the humanity? The Red Cross has red on their hands,” the Instagram post said.

Similar claims have been circulating on other social media platforms, including X and Reddit.

“Reminder: The Red Cross has not seen/visited the Israelis held hostage in Gaza once in 6 months. Not once,” an X post said.

THE QUESTION

Is it true that the Red Cross has not visited hostages held by Hamas in Gaza?

THE SOURCES

• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
• British Red Cross
• American Red Cross
• Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
• Elizabeth Shaw, head of communications for the U.S. and Canada region at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

THE ANSWER

It is true that the Red Cross has not visited hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023. However, this is because the international organization has not been granted access by Hamas.

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WHAT WE FOUND

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has not visited the hostages in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023. This is because the international humanitarian organization has not been granted access to visit them by Hamas, and cannot force its way into where the hostages are being held.

“Since the 7th of October, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been calling for the unconditional release of the hostages as a priority, while also pressing for access to them and the ability to provide them with medical care,” ICRC spokesperson Elizabeth Shaw told VERIFY.

The ICRC is an impartial, neutral and independent caretaker of the international Geneva Conventions that help ensure the respect of civilians and detainees during conflicts, like the war between Israel and Hamas. The ICRC is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the largest humanitarian network in the world.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement consists of three different parts – ICRC, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. There are also individual national societies in 188 countries, like the American Red Cross and the British Red Cross.

“The ICRC is the lead Red Cross Red Crescent entity in conflict zones, helping to ensure that humanitarian law is followed during armed conflict and providing humanitarian protection and assistance for victims amid violence,” the American Red Cross said in a statement.

The British Red Cross says on its website that the ICRC does not take part in any negotiations or political deals between the sides during conflict. Instead, it acts as a neutral intermediary that “plays an important practical role once the release of hostages has been agreed.”

“The plight of the hostages held in Gaza remains one of ICRC’s utmost priorities. They are standing by to facilitate and bring the remaining hostages back to their loved ones. But the situation is extremely difficult. The ICRC does not have information about where the hostages are,” the British Red Cross explained.

“Even if the location was known, the ICRC cannot force its way into where hostages are held. And they can only visit hostages and support relief operations if there is an agreement by the parties to the conflict,” the British Red Cross added.

Although the ICRC has not been able to visit the remaining hostages, it has helped facilitate the release of 109 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and 154 Palestinian detainees in Israel since the start of the war. The ICRC has also been in contact with the families of the remaining hostages.

“Political agreements allowed more than 100 hostages to be released, and the ICRC played its role as a neutral intermediary trusted by both sides in bringing people home,” the ICRC said.

The ICRC has a long history of visiting prisoners of war (POWs) to check on their health and conditions of detention and to get word to their families. In recent decades, its representatives have also made visits to hostages — people who are detained but are not technically POWs.

“[The ICRC] helped return the Chibok girls home to their families in Nigeria. They have done the same in places like Afghanistan, Colombia, and Peru. They are ready to do the same here,” the British Red Cross said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have both called on the ICRC to visit the remaining hostages. In December 2023, dozens of former hostages and their families sued the ICRC in an Israeli court.

The lawsuit claims the ICRC has failed to visit the hostages in captivity to check on their health, provide them with medications and then report back to their relatives on their welfare, according to a New York Times report. It also claims the Red Cross “did not and is not doing enough to bring about their release.”

The ICRC has not publicly responded to the lawsuit.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.