“Instead of using desperate civilian hostages as a means to achieve political goals, Hamas should release them immediately and unconditionally. Independent monitors must have immediate access to hostages to ensure their well-being and facilitate communication with their families,” said Agnès Callamard, Secretary-General of Amnesty International.
One month in captivity
Israeli authorities stated that at least 240 civilian hostages and military prisoners were being held in the Gaza Strip, but did not provide details on the specific number of civilian hostages. What is known is that the hostages include 33 children, elderly people, foreigners or dual citizens and Israeli soldiers. Four civilian hostages, all women, have been released by Hamas so far – two US citizens on October 20 and two more on October 24.
Israel’s siege and bombardment of the Gaza Strip continues and the civilian death toll continues to rise. Amnesty International therefore reiterates its call for an immediate ceasefire, the protection of all civilians and their access to vital humanitarian aid supplies in the Gaza Strip.
“Israel’s relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip, including through illegal and indiscriminate strikes, has killed more than 10,000 Palestinians, including 4,200 children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Civilians held hostage in the Gaza Strip are also at risk. The Israeli government is ignoring the pleas of Israeli families to prioritize the well-being of hostages in their operations”, says Agnès Callamard.
Ella Ben Ami, whose parents Raz and Ohad Ben Ami were kidnapped in the October 7 attack in Be’eri, is among those protesting in Israel. She told Amnesty International that her mother was ill and suffered from brain and spinal problems: “It has been 30 days since my parents were kidnapped from their home. We are left with terrible helplessness and great uncertainty… I have no information about their situation, which makes my daily life miserable. We are protesting to raise awareness about the lives of the hostages. We demand that the government care about the lives of the hostages and apply pressure to release them. I ask my government and all world leaders to help us. We want to see our parents again, alive. Until my mother receives the medications she needs for her illness, we fear she will not survive. We do not have time.”
Yonatan Zeigen, whose mother, Vivian Silver, 74, a peace activist and former board member of the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, was kidnapped on October 7 from Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel, said to Amnesty International: “I feel sadness and pain for my mother, for all the hostages, for our communities and for the Palestinian people. I believe this is a wake-up call, because both sides have been unable to reach peace for so long. I call for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages, as a first step towards a holistic solution for the region, with continued international participation. Security can only be achieved with peace.”
Moshi Lotem, whose daughter Hagar is being held hostage in Gaza along with her three young children, the youngest of whom is just four years old, told Amnesty International: “What Hamas and other armed groups did was not just by its neighbors, not only harmed internally, but also its own people. As a father and grandfather, it is very difficult for me that my family was taken from me in this way and I was not given any information about them. I miss her so much. Every day that passes gets more difficult. You are in a very vulnerable situation and attacks [auf Gaza] scares me a lot. I appeal to international organizations, be it the UN or the Red Cross, to bring the hostages home.”
Taking hostages is a war crime
The Geneva Conventions, their Additional Protocols and customary international humanitarian law prohibit the taking of hostages, which is considered a war crime. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court defines this crime as “the capture or detention of a person (the hostage) combined with the threat to kill, injure or continue to detain the hostage, in order to coerce a third party, expressly or implicitly to act or refrain from acting for the safety or release of the hostage.”
Amnesty calls on Hamas and other armed groups to treat all prisoners, including Israeli soldiers, humanely and in accordance with international humanitarian law. All hostages must have access to the International Committee of the Red Cross and communicate with their families. Injured or sick people must receive medical care.
Hamas and other armed groups must also ensure that hostages and other prisoners are housed in locations away from military targets and minimize the risk of being hit by Israeli attacks. Under no circumstances may hostages be used to protect military targets from attack.
To the funds
Amnesty International has documented evidence of violations of international law, including war crimes, by all parties to the conflict.
Amnesty International documented how Hamas and other armed groups fired rockets indiscriminately into Israel on 7 October and their fighters killed and kidnapped civilians. According to Israeli authorities, at least 1,400 people, most of them civilians, were killed. In Israel, civilians continue to be attacked by indiscriminate rocket fire from Hamas and other armed groups.
Since the horrific attacks by Hamas and other armed groups on October 7, in addition to continued bombings, Israel has tightened its 16-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, cutting off supplies of water, fuel and other essential supplies.
Israeli forces have also detained more than 2,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and are increasing their use of torture and other ill-treatment against Palestinian prisoners. They also denied family visits to all Palestinian prisoners, of which there are currently more than 6,800; Condemned prisoners also did not have access to their lawyers.
Even the International Committee of the Red Cross did not have access to Palestinian prisoners, who are classified by Israel as “security prisoners”. In recent months, four Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli custody under conditions that were not impartially investigated.