Dr. Michael Wise is a founder and investor in numerous technology companies. He is a graduate of YU and holds a PhD .in Theoretical Physics from Brandeis U., is the author of Israel demography study (BESA) and has published numerous articles about Israel sovereignty and demographics in Judea and Samaria. mlwise@gmail.com Today, 59 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza. How can we justify hostage negotiating with a terrorist entity when we do not even know for sure who is alive and who has already been murdered? Testimony of released hostages confirms that many have been murdered in brutal circumstances. Many are held in underground caves, starved and placed in harm’s way, to put it mildly.. Shouldn’t the International Red Cross be proactive and take the humanitarian steps to expose terrorist barbarism!? Prior to further negotiations, the International Red Cross must demand to be granted immediate access to all living hostages. Before any possible ceasefire, one non-negotiable step must be taken, Israel must know who is alive and who has been murdered. All civilized peoples, every human rights organization, the UN, the US, every Euro government, every student demonstrator calling for peace, all Arabs and Jews must demand immediate unconditional humanitarian access to all the Hamas -tortured hostages. At the same time the Red Cross must demand that Hamas facilitates access. The world must clearly say that there is no excuse to isolate these tortured souls. It flagrantly violates every moral, religious, and civilized humanitarian code. Furthermore, hostages cannot be used as human shields by terrorists. Holding hostages and putting them in harm’s way is an inexcusable crime. Unfortunately, the global outcry condemning and ostracizing Hamas brutality has been silent. The Red Cross should set a humanitarian model rather than act as a quiescent player in refusing to demand the end of insane barbarism. Even those who believe, such as apparently does the UN Secretary General, that Hamas has the right to come into Israel and attack a music festival and communities, murder, rape and kidnap people, there is no possible excuse or justification for torturing, murdering hostages and using them as human shields. Pandering to and rewarding terrorists encourages future endless violence. Kidnapping is extremely difficult to prevent and failure of the international community to confront the perpetrators aggressively will inevitably lead to horrendous future terrorist acts. Using hostages as leverage for international concessions, political legitimacy, or ceasefires sends a dangerous message—not just to Hamas, but to armed groups everywhere. The Red Cross has provided humanitarian aid in Gaza including: medical assistance in hospitals and healthcare facilities, emergency services collaborating with the Palestine Red Crescent Society to deliver ambulance services, and distributing supplies to civilians. The Red Cross should also ensure humane treatment of non-combatant hostages. Netanyahu demanded that the Red Cross visit all hostages as part of any ceasefire deal yet Hamas refused any access. In late 2023, Israel’s then-foreign minister Eli Cohen said the Red Cross had “no right to exist” if it did not visit the hostages in Gaza. But they have not visited Israel's hostages even once. The Red Cross makes no mention of them and appears not to care. Unfortunately, it is not surprising that the International Red Cross has ignored the plight of Jewish hostages! The International Red Cross has not changed one iota in its disregard of Jewish lives & suffering in captivity. Little has changed since the International Red Cross acknowledged that during World War II, it “failed to speak out, and more importantly act, on behalf of the millions of people who suffered and perished in the death camps, especially the Jewish people targeted, persecuted and murdered under the Nazi regime.” Recall that over 80 years ago, Red Cross officials certified that the Jews were well treated by the Nazis in the Theresienstadt and other concentration camps. In Israel, the equivalent of the Red Cross is Magen David Adom. It serves as Israel's national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance, and blood bank service. The Magen David Adom sought membership in the Red Cross movement since the 1930s. Finally in 2006, after over 60 years of exclusion, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent admitted Israel. Since October 7, 2023, the Red Cross has failed to visit or help the original 251 hostages. It is outrageous that the only appearance of the Red Cross is in convoys of ambulances during the release of hostages. These convoys, surrounded by armed Islamic Jihad and Hamas terrorists, acted as a taxi service transporting freed hostages from Hamas to Israeli forces. Red Cross officials did nothing to interfere with this intimidating display of indignity and public humiliation. Israel must demand that prior to any hostage negotiations with Hamas the Red Cross be able to visit and report the life and death status of all hostages. Additionally, Qatari, Egyptian, and US mediators should join in that demand! Without such input there is no basis to proceed with negotiations. Jews and humanitarians worldwide should boycott donations to the International Red Cross unlesss those visits occur.. Unfortunately, it may be too much to ask that the Red Cross apologize and change its prejudiced dynamic.
