The leadership of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America (HWZOA), took significant action by submitting a petition to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Tel Aviv on Sunday.
The petition, supported by over 5,000 members and backers of HWZOA, calls on the ICRC to intervene and ensure the well-being of Israeli hostages currently held by Hamas.
The delegation representing HWZOA, the largest Jewish women’s organization in the United States, included National President Carol Ann Schwartz, immediate past National President Rhoda Smolow, and Executive Director of Hadassah Offices in Israel Suzanne Patt Benvenisti. Their mission was to press the ICRC to take immediate action regarding the Israeli hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas.
Time is running out
Expressing deep concern, the petition addresses the ICRC’s apparent failure to fulfill its humanitarian obligations over the last three months since the infiltration of Hamas into Israel, leading to numerous atrocities. It also highlights the distressing conditions in which the 136 hostages are being held, enduring relentless physical, psychological, and sexual abuse.
The demands put forth by HWZOA in the petition are clear: the ICRC must cease its neglect of these hostages and take proactive measures to ensure their well-being. This includes providing essential medical aid and food, ensuring tolerable living conditions, terminating any form of abuse, and facilitating contact with their families.
HWZOA’s leadership met with ICRC representatives to personally deliver the petition, following a strongly worded letter sent by the organization to the ICRC in December. This letter urged immediate action to fulfill the ICRC’s established humanitarian role and emphasized the urgency of attending to the plight of the Israeli hostages.
The submission of this petition amplifies the mounting pressure on the ICRC to act swiftly and decisively, underscoring the gravity of the situation faced by the Israeli hostages held in Gaza.