Gaza – Saba:
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Monday that Israel continues to deny it access to Palestinian detainees in its prisons, calling on Tel Aviv to allow visits.
This came in a statement issued by the ICRC, the day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court, called on the head of the ICRC delegation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, Julien Leirisson, to provide food and medical care to Israeli prisoners held by Hamas.
The ICRC added in its statement: "The ICRC is still denied access to (Palestinian) detainees in Israel," according to Anadolu Agency.
The ICRC reiterated its emphasis on the need to "be informed of the names of Palestinians arrested (by the Israeli army) and to allow access to them."
It also noted that on Monday, it facilitated the release of seven Palestinian detainees from Israeli prisons and their transfer from the Israeli Kissufim checkpoint in the central Gaza Strip to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Government Hospital.
It explained: "Our team facilitated their contact with their families to meet and reunite them."
A medical source reported that the seven detainees were released by the Israeli enemy after long months of detention, which included torture, medical neglect, and starvation.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), it has facilitated the release of 217 Palestinian detainees, including five women, since last March.
The ICRC stressed the need to treat detainees "humanely, provide decent detention conditions, and allow them to communicate with their families."
It indicated that it is continuing "dialogue with the Israeli authorities to resume its visits to all Palestinian detainees."
The war criminal Netanyahu's demand to deliver food to the Israeli prisoners held by Hamas came after al-Qassam Brigades released a video showing Israeli prisoner Eviatar David, who had lost a significant amount of weight due to the continued starvation policy pursued by the Israeli enemy in Gaza.
On Sunday evening, al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida announced in a tweet the Brigades' willingness to respond to any Red Cross request to deliver food and medicine to the Israeli prisoners, provided that "humanitarian corridors are opened for all Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip."
Hamas has repeatedly declared its willingness to release Israeli prisoners "in bulk" in exchange for ending the genocide, withdrawing its army from Gaza, and releasing Palestinian prisoners.
However, Netanyahu—who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes—is evading the offer by proposing new conditions, including the disarmament of Palestinian resistance factions, and is currently insisting on reoccupying Gaza.
With American and European support, the Israeli enemy army has continued to commit genocidal crimes in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, resulting in the martyrdom of 60,933 Palestinian civilians, the majority of whom were children and women, and the injury of 150,027 others. To date, this is a preliminary toll, with thousands of victims still buried under the rubble and on the streets, unable to be reached by ambulances and rescue teams.
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