Hamas said on Sunday it is willing to coordinate with the International Committee of the Red Cross to deliver aid to hostages held in Gaza if Israel agrees to permanently open humanitarian corridors and halt airstrikes during aid distribution.
The announcement came a day after Hamas released a video of Israeli hostage Evyatar David. In the footage, David appears severely malnourished and is seen digging what he says is his own grave. The video drew sharp condemnation from Western governments and horror in Israel.
Israeli officials say 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with only 20 believed to be alive. Families have received little information about their condition, and humanitarian groups have been denied access.
The Hostages Families Forum, Hamas Offers Red Cross Access to Hostages if Israel Opens Aid Corridorswhich represents relatives of those being held, called the situation intolerable. “Hamas has been holding innocent people in impossible conditions for over 660 days,” the group said in a statement. “Until their release, Hamas has the obligation to provide them with everything they need. Every hostage who dies will be on Hamas’s hands.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has asked the Red Cross to deliver humanitarian assistance to the captives, during talks with the ICRC’s local leadership. Israel’s foreign ministry said the U.N. Security Council will hold a special session on Tuesday to discuss the situation.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s humanitarian crisis is deepening. The Hamas-run health ministry reported six more deaths from starvation or malnutrition in the past 24 hours, raising the toll to 175 since the war began, including 93 children.
Israel said it allowed a shipment of fuel into the enclave on Sunday. Egypt’s Al Qahera News TV reported two trucks carrying 107 tons of diesel were set to cross into Gaza, while Israel’s COGAT agency said four U.N. fuel tankers had already entered to supply hospitals, bakeries, and other essential services.
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Fuel shortages have severely hampered hospital operations, forcing doctors to focus only on critical cases. Aid groups say air drops and limited truck deliveries are not enough to prevent famine among Gaza’s 2.2 million residents, most of whom are displaced.
COGAT said that 1,200 trucks carrying over 23,000 tons of humanitarian aid entered Gaza last week, though many have not reached distribution points due to security and logistical challenges. Witnesses say some aid trucks have been looted by desperate civilians and armed groups.
Belgium joined France and Jordan in air-dropping aid into Gaza on Sunday, part of an effort to ease the growing food crisis.
Palestinian health officials reported that at least 80 people were killed by Israeli strikes and gunfire across the enclave on Sunday. Among the dead was a staff member of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society after an Israeli strike hit its Khan Younis headquarters.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and took 251 hostages in an attack on southern Israel, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has since killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities.
