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In response to accusations that it did not make sufficient efforts to release hostages from Gaza, as it did with prisoners of war in Ukraine, the International Committee of the Red Cross said that it does not have “super powers,” and that its work depends on the good faith of the conflicting parties.

Jason Strazioso, one of the committee’s spokespersons in Geneva, told Agence France-Presse, “From time to time we have to tell people that we are not immune to bullets, and that we do not possess superpowers. “We cannot carry out humanitarian work unless the authorities in a particular area give us permission to do so.”

During the last few days, with the entry into force of a truce in Gaza, which entered its sixth day on Thursday, and was extended for an additional day until Friday, International Committee of the Red Cross vehicles were able to transport hostages held by the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, after it had kidnapped them during the unprecedented attack it launched against Israel in October 7th.

The Hamas attack caused the death of 1,200 people in Israel, most of them civilians, most of whom died on the first day, according to the Israeli authorities.

Israel responded with intense bombing of the Gaza Strip, which since October 27 was accompanied by extensive ground operations inside the Strip, causing the death of approximately 15,000 people, including more than 6,000 children, according to the Hamas government.

Since the start of the war, the international organization, which has turned 160 years old and whose main principles are neutrality and secrecy, has been subjected to harsh criticism, especially on social media sites. Some believed that the committee should negotiate for the release of a larger number of hostages. Others blamed her for not visiting the hostages who were still being held by Palestinian factions.

Other criticism targeted the committee for not exerting sufficient pressure on Israel to release a larger number of Palestinian detainees, or allow more aid to flow into the besieged Gaza Strip.

“We are not an intelligence agency.”

In Geneva, the organization realizes, Strazioso explains, that these expectations are linked to “strong feelings,” but he believes that “criticisms often show a misunderstanding of the way we work or the limits of our work.”

Julie Pugh, a professor at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, explains: “Humanitarian organizations in general, and the International Committee of the Red Cross in particular, cannot take the place of the political action required to end this war.”

“Our political horizon has diminished to the point where our approach is limited to a humanitarian perspective,” she says.

The International Committee of the Red Cross does not know where the hostages are being held in Gaza, according to Strazioso, who says: “We are not an intelligence agency,” explaining that going to see the hostages without approval from Hamas could put the committee’s teams and humanitarian workers in danger.

Marco Sassoli, a professor in the Department of Public International Law and International Organizations at the University of Geneva, talks about another difficulty, and explains: “Unlike prisoners, hostages should be released without condition or negotiation, if humanitarian law is respected.”

The expert, who previously worked with the organization, adds: “The International Committee of the Red Cross provides its services as a neutral mediator, but it will not negotiate for the release of the hostages.”

“Bad guys and good guys”

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ICRC has often and sharply found itself criticized by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for not doing enough to reach Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russian forces.

The committee was also criticized for not providing details on the number of war prisoners it was able to meet with on the Russian side, and for sending its former president to Moscow to meet with the Russian Foreign Minister.

Sassoli believes that at the present time the world has “less understanding of neutrality,” and that “a stance must be taken, and that there are bad guys and good guys.” But “if the ICRC negotiates only with the good guys, it will no longer negotiate with almost anyone in armed conflicts.”

The organization has previously been subjected to similar criticism. The university professor explains: “For example, in Bosnia it had to work with Serbs and Bosnian Muslims, at a time when the Serbs were seen as aggressors and among the most prominent violators of humanitarian law.”

After World War II, the committee was criticized for its inaction against the Nazis, specifically to gain access to concentration camps, which later prompted it to issue an apology.