The Red Cross has the duty to protect the hostages held by Hamas

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The following is an open letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross signed by several prominent Canadian doctors.

We, as Canadian physicians dedicated to the well-being and humane treatment of all people, regardless of nationality or faith, are forced to address an issue of profound urgency. With great concern, we write to express our anguish at the apparent abandonment of the hostages currently held in Gaza, a humanitarian crisis that has weighed heavily on our hearts and minds since October 7, 2023.

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As many know, civilians from some 25 countries, including men, women and children, were kidnapped in Israel and now endure prolonged captivity in Gaza in horrific conditions. Article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War expressly prohibits the taking of hostages “at any time and in any place.” However, in this case, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has could not perform visits necessary to assess the well-being of these hostages, a deeply worrying dereliction of duty.

The freed hostages have told heartbreaking experiences: they were denied basic medication, famished and subjected to severe physicalpsychological and sexual abuse. These people desperately need medical care, psychological support and the protection of their fundamental rights under international law. It is imperative that the ICRC urgently fulfills its mandate to protect these vulnerable people and ensure that their basic human rights are respected without further delay.

The ICRC has a history that weighs heavily at this time. During the Holocaust, the ICRC did not intervene appropriately to protect millions of Jews from persecution. He has acknowledged that his inability to act in the face of overwhelming evidence about the horrors of the Nazi death camps, including Auschwitz, represents one of the darkest chapters in its history. On April 29, 1942, an internal communication from the German branch of the Red Cross to the ICRC stated that no information would be shared about “non-Aryan” detainees. This decision (and the silence that followed) is a stark reminder that inaction results in complicity.

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In 1944, ICRC delegate Maurice Rossel visited the Theresienstadt ghetto and reported no human rights violations, despite obvious manipulation by Nazi authorities to present a façade of humane conditions. Although the world was already aware of the mass deportations and atrocities, the ICRC’s decision not to challenge the propaganda it witnessed contributed to hiding the truth and prolonging suffering.

These past failures, acknowledged by the ICRC itself, should serve as a lesson in the importance of unwavering humanitarian vigilance and action. History must not repeat itself.

We fully recognize the difficult conditions in which the Red Cross operates, particularly in complex conflict zones such as Gaza. However, the continued absence of Red Cross representatives from the lives of these hostages is discouraging and deeply worrying. As a humanitarian organization, the Red Cross is obliged to ensure that all detainees, regardless of their nationality, are treated with dignity and receive appropriate care and support.

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We urge the International Red Cross to act decisively on this matter. The ICRC has a crucial responsibility to safeguard the well-being of the hostages, advocate for their immediate release and, at a minimum, demand that they be provided with humane conditions in captivity.

At this critical time, we call on the ICRC to take immediate steps to visit the hostages taken from Israel on 7 October 2023. We ask that the ICRC assess their conditions and ensure that they receive the necessary humanitarian aid. We also implore the ICRC to provide proof of life to the hostages’ distraught families, who have been deprived of any information about their loved ones. Furthermore, we urge the ICRC to press for the release of these hostages through diplomatic channels and international advocacy, working tirelessly to end their suffering.

We trust that the Red Cross recognizes the seriousness of this situation and acts consistently with the high standards and fundamental values ​​on which it was founded. The humanitarian mission that the ICRC embodies transcends borders and ideologies, and rapid intervention in this crisis would reflect that mission with integrity and compassion.

We look forward to the ICRC’s prompt response and remain hopeful that measures will be taken to help these innocent civilians, who have endured too long in captivity.

signed,

Dr. Karine Toledano, Dr. Aviva Aspler, Dr. Gerald Batist, Dr. Keith MacLellan, Dr. Philip Berger, Dr. David Jacobs, Dr. Samuele Renzi, Dr. Ron Wald, Dr. Aline Levi, et al.

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