Conditions under which Hamas will send food to the hostages

The Palestinian armed group Hamas wants to send food to the hostages through the Red Cross if certain conditions are met. Hamas said this in a statement on Sunday (August 3). According to a report by the Reuters news agency on Monday (August 4), the Palestinian group made this proposal amid widespread anger in Western countries after a video released by Hamas showed a hostage with all his belongings. In the statement, Hamas said that it would only coordinate aid with the Red Cross if Israel permanently opened a humanitarian corridor and completely stopped airstrikes during the distribution of aid. Israel said that there are currently 50 hostages in Gaza, of whom 20 are believed to be alive. Hamas has not yet allowed any humanitarian organization to reach the hostages. On Saturday, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, released a video of an Israeli prisoner in Gaza, Palestine. The video caused quite a stir after its release. The approximately four and a half minute video shows a young man in a narrow concrete tunnel. He is shirtless, just wearing pants. His body is skeletal. It is understood that he has not been able to eat properly for a long time. AFP and Israeli media reported that the young man’s name is Aviatar David. He attended the Nova music festival in southern Israel. On October 7, 2023, Aviatar, 24, was arrested along with more than 200 other Israelis during a surprise attack by Hamas and taken to Gaza. After the video was released, European leaders as well as Israelis reacted. Various countries including France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States condemned the incident. Israel has called for a special session of the UN Security Council on this issue.