Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, Health Minister Uriel Busso and representatives of the families of the hostages met the President of the Red Cross Mirjana Spoljaric and demanded that she ensure an immediate visit to all the Israeli hostages held in Gaza by the Hamas terrorist organization and provide medical treatment to the hostages who need it. The meeting took place in Geneva.
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen: "The Red Cross must work wherever possible to ensure a visit to the hostages, including children, women and the elderly, who are being held by the Hamas terrorist organization.
We expect the Red Cross to put this urgent matter at the top of the organization's priority list, to use all its connections and not stop until it has visited all the hostages, checked their condition and made sure that they are receiving the medical treatment they need.
It deems fit for the Red Cross to center its focus on the greatest humanitarian disaster that the Hamas terrorist organization is wreaking on Gaza, and not on the State of Israel, a country that is committed to international law and acts according to it."
Health Minister Uriel Busso: "Today I informed the president of the Red Cross and the chairman of the World Health Organization that the State of Israel does not intend to stop until all the hostages held by Hamas are released, and I demanded her involvement in maintaining their safety. I mentioned to her that Gaza is paying a heavy price for the serious fact that Hamas terrorists are using hospitals as terrorist bases and that I expect the international community to condemn this in no unclear terms – it is unthinkable that medical facilities are used to protect against terrorism. We are determined and will do everything we can to bring our brothers and sisters home safely."
The meeting was attended by members of the families of the hostages: Ofri Bibas Levy, sister of Jordan Bibas, who was kidnapped to Gaza with his wife Shiri and their two children Ariel (4) and Kfir (10 months), Ilan Regev, father of Maya and Itay, Idit Ohel, mother of Alon Ohel, and Svatitzky, daughter Chana Peri (79) and sister of Nadav Popplewell.