Duplicitous Hypocrisy Of The International Red Cross (IRC)
The Telling Silence Of The International Red Cross
I have written about this before, in “Defund the International Red Cross Now!,” but it is a subject that truly drives me and the rest of Israel bonkers. We are stupefied by the IRC, their hypocrisy, lying, false narrative, and severe hatred of Israel or Jews (I honestly do not know what to pick here anymore). On the other hand, we are not surprised by it. Not in the least. Which is a deplorable state of affairs.
When I wrote the first article, I was just plain angry. Well, to be honest, I was filled with rage. But today, I want to put things in perspective for my readers.
As of today, December 27, 2023, 110 hostages have been released from Hamas’ hands. 109 of those were returned through a hostage exchange, which went from November 24th to November 30th. The one other, Ori Megidish, was rescued by the IDF.
Additionally, 11 bodies have been recovered, including three men who were mistakenly shot by the Israeli military on Friday in an incident that threw the entire country into mourning and mayhem.
How many hostages remain? Well, that is a problem. No one really knows. The best number anyone or any press can give is 130+. You see, because the International Red Cross has not done a thing (see below) and because Hamas dragged civilians out of their beds, from a peace concert, or just off the road, it is impossible to really know.
For example, let us take the Bibas family.
It's been 82 days since 11-month-old Kfir, four-year-old Ariel, and their parents, Shirel and Yarden Bibas, were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 terror attack.1
Who takes a 10-month-old baby and a 4-year-old as hostages?
Who takes an entire civilian family as hostages?
What thought process goes through an organization or individual that decides to do such a thing?
Here is the problem.
Hamas issued an unverified claim that the mother and children were killed in an Israeli bombardment and offered to return three corpses to Israel this week in the sixth round of hostage releases, but it was unclear whose remains it was referring to.
A day later, Hamas posted a propaganda video appearing to show Yarden Bibas alive, saying that the bodies Hamas offered to Israel were his family’s and asking that they be returned for burial.
The family has said that Yarden was taken to Gaza separately from his wife and sons. A cousin, Jimmy Miller, cited a video showing Yarden being abducted by motorbike and beaten en route.2
So what is it? Are they alive, or are they dead?
Well, one would think the International Red Cross would find out. After all, that is what they are for. Correct?
The International Red Cross did absolutely nothing!
So, let us delve a bit deeper into the IRC and its hypocrisy. We will do this by looking at the IRC statements themselves. But first, let us paint the picture. To do this, let me give you two examples of exactly what is happening. It will only help to understand the situation.
A Tale Of Two Hostages
Two of the hostages returned on November 26th were 4-year-old Avigail Idan (yes, another 4-year-old) and 84-year-old Elma (Alma) Avraham.
And again, I ask: Who takes a 4-year-old as hostage?
What thought process goes through an organization or individual that decides to do such a thing?
The story of Avigail Idan:
Four-year-old Avigail Idan was taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, when she was hiding in her neighbor’s home, the Brodutch family, in Kibbutz Kfar Aza.
Avigail’s father, Roee Idan, was a Ynet photographer who had run outside early Saturday morning to capture the first images of Hamas terrorists on hang-gliders in the skies over the kibbutz.
As he realized the extent of what was taking place, Idan ran home, where terrorists had already entered his home and killed his wife, Smadar.
The couple’s three children, Michael, Amalya, and Avigail, went outside to their father, but as terrorists approached, Michael and Amalya ran back inside the house while Avigail ran to the neighbors.
Idan was shot and badly hurt by the Hamas gunmen, later dying of his injuries.
Michael and Amalya, ages 9 and 6, hid for the next 14 hours in a closet in their house, speaking to a Magen David Adom dispatcher who kept in touch with Michael on the phone, telling him to lock the door and not let anyone in, “until good people came.”
Avigail, then 3, hid with the neighbors, Hagar, 40, Ofri, 10, Yuval, 9, and Oriya Brodutch, 4, in their sealed room, while husband and father Avihai Brodutch went back out to fight the terrorists.
When he came home later, his wife, children, and Avigail were missing.
Idan’s brother, Amit, had been calling his family all day, trying to figure out what was happening. When Amalya finally answered, she told him, “The terrorists killed Mom and Dad, but don’t worry, the army is on the way.”
Michael and Amalya are with their aunt and uncle and have had no word of Avigail, who, like her siblings and mother, is a United States citizen.
Avigail turned four on November 24 while held captive in Gaza.
And again, I ask: Who takes an 84-year-old as hostage?
What thought process goes through an organization or individual that decides to do such a thing?
The story of Elma (Alma) Avraham:
Elma Abraham, 84 years old, was kidnapped in Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
Her son Uri Rawitz last spoke to his mother at 10:20 a.m. on October 7, when he heard screams outside his house.
He had been on the phone with her all morning after she woke up to sirens of rocket attacks across the country. Tel Aviv and saw 5 missed calls from his 84-year-old mother.
Elma Abraham was alone in her safe room but couldn’t close the door because it was too heavy.
Now, her return:
The life of one of the hostages released by Hamas, Elma Avraham, is at risk. "We told the family, as we have responded to other families requesting to transfer medications, that at this point, we cannot deliver medications to Israeli hostages, despite our requests to provide them with treatment, our request has not been answered. We had no option until the moment we met Elma, 84, during the captive release phase to provide medical treatment," the Red Cross said in a statement.
"The Red Cross has called and continues to call on Hamas to release all the hostages, allow access to medical treatment, and provide them with a communication channel with their families. We have made this call on various platforms and opportunities, repeatedly and will continue to do so. The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross even met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar and requested these things. We understand that there is an expectation from the families to leave their medications in Gaza. However, as long as there is no entity willing to accept these medications, we will not take on that task."
Meanwhile, Soroka Medical Center reported that there has been an improvement in Elma's condition. The hospital stated that Elma, who was abducted from Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, is conscious and breathing on her own. The hospital also reported that, for over a day, she was in a severe state of unconsciousness, ventilated, and received support for her compromised bodily systems.
4-years-old and 84-years-old. Civilians. A young child and an elderly woman. One returned in life-threatening condition. Why? The answer is in front of you.
The International Red Cross did absolutely nothing!
The International Red Cross Speaks For Itself
Let us take a look at their website, shall we? The simple “About” page.
The work of the ICRC is based on the Geneva Conventions of 1949, their Additional Protocols, its Statutes those of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and the resolutions of the International Conferences of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. The ICRC is an independent, neutral organization ensuring humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of war and armed violence. It takes action in response to emergencies and promotes respect for international humanitarian law and its implementation in national law.
“To protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and violence and to provide them with assistance.”
The ICRC's Mission Statement
The International Committee of the Red Cross is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance.
The ICRC also endeavours to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles.
This bears repeating.
“To protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and violence and to provide them with assistance.”
Such a lofty goal. Those are such beautiful words. Too bad they are a lie when it comes to Israel and Jews. Too bad the IRC has never done a thing since and during the Holocaust for Jews.
Red Cross chief slams his own group’s WWII record
Peter Maurer says humanitarian organization ‘lost its moral compass’ during Holocaust, warns no guarantee such catastrophe could not recur.
The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross attacked his organization’s World War II record, saying it “lost its moral compass.”
Peter Maurer, presenting the keynote address Tuesday at a Geneva commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi death camps, said the ICRC “failed to protect civilians and, most notably, the Jews persecuted and murdered by the Nazi regime.” Maurer said his group “failed as a humanitarian organization because it lost its moral compass.”
So, as you can see, we have a history with the IRC. There is a pattern here.
But let us dig a bit deeper.
On the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) website (same as IRC), we can read the following:
Israel and the occupied territories3
In Israel and the occupied territories, the ICRC strives to bring about a difference in people's lives through its activities and programmes. We act as neutral intermediary, strive to maintain family contacts and reunite families, support livelihood projects, and help improve access to the essential services, like water and electricity. Above all, we stand up for people and promote their rights and dignity.
Since the dramatic escalation of the conflict on 7 October 2023, we are sparing no effort to attenuate on both sides the humanitarian consequences of an unprecedented crisis. We are calling for safe and sustained humanitarian access and remind all parties that international humanitarian law protects civilians, medical facilities and humanitarian personnel.
We have been present in Israel and the occupied territories since 1967 and work with the Palestine Red Crescent Society and Magen David Adom in Israel. The ICRC has offices in Tel Aviv, the West Bank and Gaza.
I will not even comment on the “occupied territories.” That is a political statement in and of itself that is loaded with negative connotations towards Israel. Not a word about the hostages. Not one word. Why?
The International Red Cross did absolutely nothing!
Let us move on.
The ICRC also runs rescue.org, so anything on that website comes directly from the ICRC, and they tell you this. They exhort their visitors to “Learn more at www.rescue.org.”
On “rescue.org” we find the following:
The IRC initiates a response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza
The IRC will respond to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Gaza, where millions are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.
The IRC is calling for a humanitarian ceasefire to pave the way for addressing pressing humanitarian and protection needs.
With 95% of residents lacking access to safe water and 64% of primary health facilities in Gaza shut, the IRC is warning of an imminent infectious disease outbreak.
In Gaza, more than 2 million Palestinian civilians are facing peril and disaster every day. The Secretary General of the UN calls this a “humanitarian catastrophe.” Following the work of IRC assessment teams on the ground, and commencement of aid flows from Egypt to Gaza, the IRC is initiating a response to the humanitarian crisis arising from the current conflict.
Maybe I missed it. Do you see one word about the hostages there?
Now to the ICRC-IRC press release of December 22, 2023.
New York, NY, December 22, 2023 — The International Rescue Committee (IRC) welcomes the demands for immediate, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access through all available routes to Palestinians throughout Gaza, for International Humanitarian Law to be upheld and for the unconditional release of hostages contained in UNSC Resolution 2720. These are prerequisites for relief of the humanitarian suffering.
However, with more than 20,000 Palestinians killed and the latest food insecurity numbers showing an unprecedented threat of starvation in Gaza, much more is clearly needed. The foundation of UNSC action should be the UN Charter and international law. The conflict is a clear threat to regional peace and security, and civilian rights under international law are being woefully disregarded.
We reiterate that the only way fully to protect Palestinian lives, enable a sufficient humanitarian response, and offer the best chance of hostage release is to stop the fighting. From a humanitarian point of view, the failure of the UNSC to demand an immediate and sustained ceasefire is unjustifiable.
The bold and italics are mine. This is what the IRC offers. A statement telling the world what the best chance for hostage release will be.
Let me get this right.
The International Red Cross is set up to “To protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and violence and to provide them with assistance.” That is what they claim. Yet 82 days into this war, 82 days since these hostages have been taken, and the facts speak for themselves.
The International Red Cross:
Has never visited any of the hostages.
The IRC has not offered any report on the health of the hostages.
The IRC has not given out a simple list of those who were being held hostage in Gaza.
The IRC refused, actually refused, to take medicine paid for in Israel to those who were sick and wounded. Telling the families, “it was simply not possible.”
The IRC attempted to defend their silence by showing multiple ambulances moving Hamas members.
These are the choices:
The IRC is a totally ineffective bunch of fools who do not deserve one dollar as they cannot accomplish their goals in any way.
The IRC is the face of evil, and all those working for it are just there to line their pockets.
The IRC is politically motivated and will not do a thing for Israelis or Jews. They will work for Palestinians, Gazans, Ukrainians, and all the rest. But the moment it comes to Israel, they will not lift a finger. Not even to bring medicine to an 84-year-old woman and the rest of the wounded and elderly held by Hamas. Not visiting the hostages, not giving Israel a list of the hostages, not checking on their status, and not helping in any way. The only thing they will do is call for an end to fighting. Which they well know will allow their Hamas masters to disappear into the tunnels.
All of the above.
What is astounding is that Israel is not the only country claiming the IRC is a totally useless organization. The administration in the US has repeatedly said this. Every government head, whether they be for or against Israel’s continued attack on Hamas, has been in shock at the inability of the IRC to do anything.
Unfortunately, the IRC will not change. Every single person who works for the IRC in Gaza is hired with the approval of Hamas.
Don’t believe me? Just look at the total collapse of Gaza now.
Two hundred trucks are driven daily with humanitarian aid meant for IRC. Where do the food and medical supplies end up? In the hands of Hamas.
Who drives Hamas members around? The IRC, of course.
Who only came into the picture when the television cameras were out? The IRC. Suddenly, they appeared when the hostages were released. Not a moment beforehand.
Lessons Learned:
If you are one of those surprised and puzzled at Israel’s stance on Hamas, then don’t burn too much brain fuel. It is simple.
When a country cannot get the IRC to:
Visit hostages taken by the very people the IRC serves
Give Israel a list of the hostages
Deliver medicine to hostages
Tell Israel who is alive, who is wounded, and who is dead
Stop Hamas from killing more hostages
Help the hostages
then do not expect that country to honor anything the IRC wants.
I will answer the IRC in the same way the American General McAuliffe answered the Nazis when they asked his troops to surrender during the Battle of the Bulge.
“To the German Commander: N U T S”
And in the same vein, that is what we must say to the IRC.
We do not expect you to change IRC. We do not expect you to help. We do not expect any empathy from you.
Do you not think something is terribly wrong with this picture?
Do you not think that when you accuse Israel of attacking the poor Hamas terrorists despite what has occurred - will you not stop for one moment and ask yourselves: What the hell is going on here?
Can you actually defend this corrupt, duplicitous, hypocrisy-ruled organization?
In the end, maybe this is just “blowing in the wind.” I know nothing will change. So does all of Israel. So why even write this?
Perhaps the answer lies in the overused quote, attributed to Edmund Burke, that I use for The View From Israel.
“The only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is that good men do nothing.”
In the Talmud, a similar statement exists:
Stand up and be that person in a place where there is no person.4
I guess it all boils down to the simple statement:
Silence is not an option.
https://www.icrc.org/en/where-we-work/middle-east/israel-and-occupied-territories
Mishna Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) 2:5
Why is the IRC the only official organization? A new one should be formed.