The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been unable to visit hostages in Gaza and provide them with medical care for over 590 days. Despite this, the Communications Coordinator for the ICRC, Jacob Kurtzer, mentioned to Fox News Digital that the organization has been prepared to offer medical assistance to the hostages since the beginning, even though they have not been granted access to them.
“It’s no secret that the ICRC has faced obstacles in visiting hostages to carry out our mandated humanitarian work, such as providing medical treatment and medicine,” Kurtzer stated. He reassured that despite the challenges, the ICRC continues to make efforts every day, with their colleagues at headquarters and other delegations, to find ways to gain access to the hostages in Gaza.
In an image captured on May 12, 2025, International Red Cross (ICRC) vehicles can be seen driving in Deir el-Balah as they transport U.S.-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander. He was handed over by the Al-Qassam Brigades after being held in Gaza since October 2023. The Palestinian militant group Hamas announced that its armed wing released the U.S.-Israeli hostage just before a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to the region. The vehicles are carrying out this transfer mission in the midst of this significant handover event.
Beyond the hostages, ICRC is tasked with providing humanitarian assistance in Gaza, something Kurtzer said is urgently needed. He called the situation in the Strip “catastrophic.”
Kurtzer recalled the relief that the recent ceasefire provided those on the ground in Gaza.
“It provided hope. It provided hope for families on all sides. It provided hope to families of the hostages. It provided hope for people living inside Gaza,” Kurtzer said. However, the resumption of military action has “contributed to a sense of despair,” he said.
A truck loaded with humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip makes its way to the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel, Israel-Gaza border, Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
Since Kurtzer spoke with Fox News Digital, Israel has altered its position on humanitarian access, now allowing some aid trucks into Gaza. However, critics argue that the scale of assistance remains insufficient.
U.K. Foreign Minister David Lammy announced on Tuesday that his country was suspending trade talks with Israel over the handling of the war in Gaza. French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned Israel in a post on X. Additionally, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said the aid being allowed in was a “drop in the ocean.”
“We really believe that the path forward is one where humanitarian assistance is allowed in and we urgently and we appeal over and over again for the parties themselves to find a better path forward because what we’re seeing now is just really very, very devastating,” Kurtzer told Fox News Digital.
