Red Cross president meets Hamas chief in Qatar to discuss Gaza war humanitarian issues
- Announcement came as negotiators in Qatar worked to seal a deal for the release of some of the 240 hostages taken by the Islamist militants
- Israeli army killed at least 12 in a strike on the Indonesian Hospital in the Palestinian territory’s north, Gaza’s health ministry said on Monday
The Red Cross said on Monday its president had travelled to Qatar to meet Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh “to advance humanitarian issues related to the armed conflict in Israel and Gaza”.
“President Mirjana Spoljaric met with (Ismail) Haniyeh, Chair of Hamas’ Political Bureau, and separately with authorities of the state of Qatar,” the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement.
The announcement came as negotiators worked to seal a deal for the release of some of the 240 hostages the Islamist militants took during their unprecedented October 7 attacks on Israel.
The ICRC stressed that Mirjana Spoljaric Egger’s visit was part of efforts to hold “direct discussions with all sides to improve respect for international humanitarian law”.
It pointed out that she has also met “multiple times in recent weeks with families of hostages held in Gaza, as well as senior Israeli and Palestinian leaders”.
The Geneva-based organisation stressed that it was continuing “to appeal for the urgent protection of all victims in the conflict, and for the alleviation of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza strip”.
“ICRC staff in Gaza have been delivering life-saving assistance, and an ICRC surgical team continues to perform operations,” it said, adding that it was “calling for sustained, safe humanitarian access so it can increase its work”.