Hamas Links Hostage Aid Access to Cease-Fire, Humanitarian Corridor in Gaza

Fifty Israeli hostages remain in captivity nearly 22 months after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.

Red Cross vehicles arrive to collect the coffins containing the bodies of four Israeli hostages—including a mother and her two children, who had long been feared dead—to be handed over by Palestinian militant groups in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Feb. 20, 2025. Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo

Terrorist group Hamas said on Aug. 3 it is willing to allow aid to reach Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip, but only if Israel agrees to permanently open humanitarian corridors and halts its airstrikes during aid distribution.

Hamas has so far barred humanitarian organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), from accessing the hostages. Coordination with the ICRC, the group said, depends on Israel’s actions on the ground.