Red Cross chief on Gaza hostages: We could have saved more lives

Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), has acknowledged that greater pressure earlier in negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement could have prevented additional deaths. In an interview with The New York Times published Saturday, Spoljaric reflected on the efforts to secure the release of Israelis abducted by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack. She said she believed that "pressure should have come earlier in the negotiations", adding, "We could have saved more lives." Discussing the challenges involved in securing the release of hostages, Spoljaric warned that prolonged captivity makes negotiations increasingly difficult. In situations involving hostage-taking, including the October 7 abductions, "the longer it takes, the more complicated it becomes," she explained. Asked whether Red Cross representatives had been permitted to visit the Israeli hostages during their captivity in Gaza, Spoljaric distinguished between negotiating access to captives and securing their release. She responded that "visiting hostages is much more complicated than bringing them back." The Red Cross president emphasized that the hostages should never have been held as bargaining chips. According to her, the hostages "should have come back unconditionally as of Day 1. But that's not the reality in which we operate, and so we have to work with the tools that we have." Spoljaric also drew on the ICRC's experience with hostage situations involving its own personnel. "We know that also because our own colleagues find themselves more often than they should in such situations, and we know how important it is to negotiate them out as quickly as possible. So the objective always has to be to bring the hostages back." As part of the organization's efforts to facilitate an agreement, Spoljaric said she conducted confidential discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader who was subsequently eliminated by Israel. Her meeting with Haniyeh took place in Qatar. "These were tough discussions, and trust me, we are very frank in these meetings. This is why these meetings have to always remain confidential," she told The Times . The remarks come after the Red Cross faced sustained criticism over its failure to gain access to Israeli hostages held by Hamas following the October 7 massacre. In December 2023, Spoljaric traveled to the Gaza Strip for a visit that was expected to include efforts to arrange Red Cross access to the captives. However, a video she released following the visit focused primarily on the humanitarian situation facing Gaza residents, with only a brief reference to the Israeli hostages near the end of the nearly two-minute recording. The organization faced further criticism in January 2024 when it announced that it would neither distribute medications brought into Gaza for Israeli hostages nor verify that the supplies reached their intended recipients. Several Israelis who survived Hamas captivity subsequently accused the Red Cross of failing to assist them while they were being held in Gaza. In March 2025, former hostage Eli Sharabi addressed the United Nations Security Council , questioning the absence of international humanitarian organizations during his 491 days in captivity. "Where was the Red Cross when we needed them? Where was the United Nations? 491 days of torment. 491 days of starvation, of being chained underground. The civilians saw us suffering, and they cheered our kidnappers. They were definitely involved." "I am here today because I survived. But survival is not enough. Not when 59 are still held captive in Hamas tunnels in Gaza. I was freed less than six weeks ago and I come here to the UN with a simple message. Bring them all home." That same month, captivity survivor Ohad Ben Ami addressed the German Parliament , describing the absence of Red Cross representatives throughout his captivity and expressing concern for the 59 hostages who remained in Gaza at the time. "During the 491 days of my captivity, we didn’t see anyone [from the Red Cross]. Now, 536 days have passed, and no one from the Red Cross has seen them either! This is an international organization, and someone from it should see the 59 hostages still held in Gaza and report their condition to the world." Ben Ami also described the uncertainty surrounding the captives' welfare and the psychological pressure they endured. "Are they alive? Are they dead? Do they need medicine? Are they being cared for? You’re down there [in the tunnels], and they subject you to psychological terror: ‘Your government doesn’t want you,’ ‘You’re nothing,’ ‘When we decide, you’ll die,’ ‘Your Israeli army wants you dead so they don’t have to pay the price of a deal.’ And in that situation, you have to maintain your mental health."