Fabrizio Carboni, Near and Middle East Director of the International Red Cross told the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that neither Israel nor Hamas has allowed visits to prisoners.
“Israel and Hamas have both refused to allow prisoner visits, which is unacceptable on either side.”
Regarding visits to terrorists, he commented: “We do not just visit prisoners ourselves, but also enable family visits.
“As of October 7th, the Israeli authorities have decided to suspend such visits. It is also sad that Hamas does not allow us to visit the hostages it holds. This is completely unacceptable for both sides.”
When asked about a prisoner exchange deal, he commented “We are not part of the dialogue between the sides. This is a political negotiation, in which we are involved only in the humanitarian aspects, and only after an agreement is reached.
“We implement the agreement between the sides. That is what we have done in the past and are ready to do again. Today, as worried as I am, I have no information from anyone, and we hope the sides can reach an agreement as soon as possible.”