The scenes surrounding the returns of Hamas-held hostages, or their remains, in Gaza, have been disturbing and dehumanizing. The International Committee of the Red Cross remains concerned about the exploitation of hostages in these handovers, which we’ve been entrusted by Israel to facilitate eight times this year.
We have been unequivocal: Every release of hostages from Gaza — whether of the living or the deceased — must be conducted with dignity and privacy. We have communicated these expectations frequently and clearly, both privately and publicly.
And yet, each time our team members arrive on-site to facilitate these operations, they face new objectionable conditions we didn’t agree to. We push back, but the choice is clear: suspend the operation (in which case the hostages, or their remains, stay in Gaza) or safely complete the mission.
Our teams have chosen to fulfill our mission in every case — a vital humanitarian duty under a fragile ceasefire.
Critics tell us to exercise our “leverage,” a term more relevant to armed governments than a neutral humanitarian group. Our actual tool is persuasion — through a balance of discreet diplomacy and public calls for action.
But it doesn’t always work the way it should. Fighters on the ground don’t always live up to their obligations. The ICRC’s unarmed staff can’t force armed fighters to do anything.
Despite limited capabilities, our teams on the ground in Gaza have brought 139 hostages back alive to their families and returned the remains of four others since Oct. 7, 2023. We have fulfilled each mission in close coordination with all parties involved, including Israeli authorities. Through months of meticulous planning — while our team has navigated terrain pockmarked with unexploded ordnance, traversed thick crowds, and relied solely on the trust of every group involved — each of these hostages has been safely returned.
The ICRC will continue to call for the immediate and unconditional release of every remaining hostage. Short of that, we demand access to them to provide medical care, deliver messages, and check on their well-being.
It’s a painful reality: We have not been able to reach the hostages still in captivity. But not because we haven’t been relentlessly trying. We demand access every time we speak with Hamas and anyone who has influence on the group. We will not stop.
We do not have the power to compel armed groups or states to act. What we do have are decades of experience in hostage and prisoner release operations, a mandate to protect victims of armed conflict, and the trust necessary to bring hostages home.
Our commitment extends beyond hostages. In war, civilians bear the greatest cost, and we are working tirelessly to deliver aid to those in need. Since Oct. 7, 2023, we have delivered lifesaving supplies to hospitals, facilitated the safe passage of wounded civilians, and provided humanitarian relief in an environment where needs grow by the day. We have also helped return Palestinian detainees held by Israel.
We remind critics that international humanitarian law and the aid we provide do not distinguish between “friend” and “foe.” Our role is not to make moral judgments, but to work with warring parties to ensure that the fundamental rules of war — the humane treatment of prisoners and the protection of civilians — are upheld by all sides.
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For us, neutrality is not an objective; it is an instrument. It enables us to be in places no one else can, to be the go-betweens. It is the only way we can operate in the most challenging environments, even when the odds seem impossible.
Acting with neutrality is never easy, but it doesn’t mean indifference. The ICRC remains one of humanity’s most effective tools in confronting the horrors of armed conflict. We will never abandon that mission.
Steve Dorsey is a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross.