A Red Cross vehicle carrying newly released captives drives towards the Rafah border point with Egypt, in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
Delegations from Hamas, Israel and the United States are due to convene in Egypt for talks on Monday aimed at ending Israel's two-year genocidal war on Gaza.
Israeli bombardment has devastated Gaza, killing at least 67,000 Palestinians and injuring around 170,000, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry, while an eight-month Israeli blockade has triggered a famine in the territory.
Both Hamas and Israel have responded positively to US President Donald Trump's proposal to end the war in Gaza and facilitate a captive-prisoner exchange.
"Our teams are ready to act as a neutral humanitarian intermediary to help bring hostages and detainees back to their families," said Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The ICRC insisted that humanitarian aid needed to resume "at full capacity" and be distributed safely to people wherever they were in the Gaza Strip.
The Geneva-based humanitarian organisation said it had facilitated the release of 148 captives and 1,931 detainees since October 2023. It has also facilitated the return of human remains.
It said such operations were highly complex and needed meticulous logistical and security planning.
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