Red Cross Chief Admits More Lives Could Have Been Saved
Translated & summarized from N12 by baba
The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric, admitted in a New York Times interview that the organization could have saved more lives by applying pressure earlier in negotiations for the release of Israeli hostages. Spoljaric confirmed the ICRC never visited the hostages held by Hamas and acknowledged the complexity of such access. She also defended the ICRC's neutrality as crucial for its operations, while asserting Israel's legal and moral obligation under the Geneva Conventions to grant access to Palestinian detainees.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric admitted more lives could have been saved by earlier negotiation pressure.
- The ICRC never visited Israeli hostages held by Hamas during their captivity.
- Spoljaric met with Hamas leadership and Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding the hostages.
- The ICRC President defended the organization's neutrality as essential for its operations.
- Spoljaric stated Israel has a legal and moral obligation to grant access to Palestinian detainees.
The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric, has acknowledged that the organization could have saved more lives during the hostage crisis. In an interview with The New York Times, Spoljaric addressed criticism regarding the ICRC's inability to visit Israeli hostages held by Hamas. She explained that while visiting hostages is more complex than facilitating their release, the organization should have exerted pressure earlier in negotiations.
Spoljaric confirmed that the ICRC did not visit the Israeli hostages while they were in Hamas captivity, despite reports of their dire conditions. She stated that releasing hostages should ideally happen unconditionally on the first day, but acknowledged the realities of their operational environment. She emphasized the complexity and cruelty of hostage-taking, drawing parallels to situations ICRC staff themselves have faced.
Expressing regret, Spoljaric stated, "I personally believe that pressure should have been applied earlier in the negotiations. We could have saved more lives, many more lives." She noted that the prolonged negotiations complicated the mission and potentially led to preventable loss of life. While she did not explicitly assign blame for missed opportunities, she revealed that the issue of hostages was central to her meetings with Hamas leadership in Qatar, including Ismail Haniyeh, and with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Spoljaric also defended the ICRC's principle of neutrality, arguing it is essential for their operations in conflict zones and for facilitating complex missions like hostage releases. She stated that without maintaining neutrality for over 160 years, the organization would lose trust and the ability to act. Regarding Palestinian detainees held by Israel, Spoljaric asserted that despite sovereign decisions by states to restrict access, international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, imposes a legal and moral obligation on countries to grant the ICRC access.
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