Red Cross President Meets Hamas Chief in Qatar

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric paid an official visit to Qatar, where she met with the chairman of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, as well as Qatari officials, the organization said.

"The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited Qatar on Sunday to discuss the desperate humanitarian situation in relation to the armed conflict in Israel and Gaza. Mirjana Spoljaric met with Ismael Haniyeh, chair of Hamas' Political Bureau, and separately with authorities of the state of Qatar," the organization said on Sunday.

The statement added that the ICRC is not involved in negotiations for the release of hostages in Gaza, but is ready to facilitate the implementation of the humanitarian aspects of any agreement by the parties to the conflict.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from Gaza and breached the border, killing 1,200 people and abducting around 240 others. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. At least 31,045 people have been killed so far in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said.

On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.