Netanyahu tells Red Cross head: Israelis cruelly held in Gaza
'Bodies of our slain soldiers and innocent, defenseless Israeli civilians are being held in Gaza in a very closed and cruel way,' Netanyahu says ahead of meeting with ICRC head Peter Maurer.
Maurer visited the strip on Tuesday and met with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, asking him to be allowed to meet with "the Israeli soldiers missing in Gaza."
"We're concerned about this unbelievable cruelty," Netanyahu told Maurer. "We have bodies of our slain soldiers that even the information about them is kept (from us). And no less important, we have innocent, defenseless Israeli civilians held in the Gaza, which you sought to visit, (and) we want to get information about, but no. They're kept in a very closed and cruel way. I appreciate all of your help and all of your assistance in this humanitarian effort in the face of this Hamas cruelty."
"We have a mandate on international law but also on helping people and finding practical ways" to help, Maurer said. "I'm really looking forward once again to have an opportunity to look into some of the challenges we are confronted with today and see how the ICRC can eventually help with one or the other."
"I'm sure you can," Netanyahu responded. "Both in retrieving the bodies of our fallen soldiers but also in bringing back to Israel these defenseless, helpless civilians who are held by Hamas in contravention of all international norms and all the ideals the Red Cross has been established on."
Israel's intelligence community determined with high certainty that Hamas is holding two Israeli citizens: Abera Mengistu, 30, from Ashkelon, who has been in the strip since September 2014, and Hisham Shaaban al-Sayed, a Bedouin man from Hura, who crossed into Gaza in April 2015. Both are alive but suffering from physical and mental problems and need to be on medication on a regular basis.
In addition, Hamas is holding the bodies of IDF soldiers Lt. Hadar Goldin and Sgt. Oron Shaul, who were killed during the 2014 Operation Protective Edge in Gaza and their bodies were captured by Hamas.
Hamas is also holding an additional Israeli citizen, Jumaa Ibrahim Abu-Ghanima, whose presence in Gaza is defined as a "security affair" by the intelligence community, and he is not included on the list of POWs and MIAs. There is also doubt as to whether he really wants to return to Israel.
Sinwar has recently said he was willing to launch negotiations over the Israeli civilians and bodies of IDF soldiers being held by Hamas on the condition Israel frees Palestinian prisoners released in the 2011 Shalit deal who have been arrested again since for terror activity.
