Hamas said it is ready to coordinate with the Red Cross to deliver humanitarian aid to hostages held in Gaza, if Israel meets certain conditions, as outrage mounts over the deteriorating condition of captives and a rising death toll from hunger.
The announcement on Sunday followed the release of a disturbing video showing Israeli hostage Evyatar David, severely emaciated and digging what he says, is his own grave.
The footage, Hamas’s second video of David in two days, drew condemnation from France, Germany, the UK, and the United States, while Israeli officials said they were pushing for an emergency United Nations Security Council session on the plight of hostages.
Hamas said it would allow coordination with the Red Cross only if Israel permanently opens humanitarian corridors and halts airstrikes during aid distribution. So far, the group has denied any humanitarian organisation access to hostages, leaving families with little to no information about their condition.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he urged the Red Cross to assist the hostages during talks with the head of its local delegation.
According to Israeli officials, 50 hostages remain in Gaza, but only 20 are believed to be alive.
The Hostages Families Forum, representing relatives of those held, said Hamas's latest statement “cannot whitewash” the fact that captives have been kept in “impossible conditions for over 660 days”.
“Hamas kidnapped them and they must care for them,” the group said. “Every hostage who dies will be on Hamas’s hands.”
Meanwhile, Gaza's health ministry said six more people died of starvation or malnutrition in the last 24 hours, raising the toll to 175 since the start of the war, including 93 children.
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Nicaraguan indigenous leader and former lawmaker Brooklyn Rivera has died in state custody at the age of 73, according to local media reports citing his family.
At least 46 people, including six children, have been killed in a powerful explosion at a building used to store mining explosives in northeastern Myanmar, according to local media reports.
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South Africa's preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have suffered an unexpected setback after the national team failed to depart for Mexico as scheduled on Sunday (31 May) because some players and officials had not yet received their visas.
U.S. rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye, performed to a crowd of 118,000 people in Istanbul on Saturday night, marking his first concert in Europe in more than a decade, despite being barred from performing in several countries over past antisemitic remarks.
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Russia has recalled its ambassador to Armenia for consultations, citing Yerevan's growing rapprochement with the European Union. The move is seen as the latest sign of deteriorating relations between the longtime allies ahead of Armenia's parliamentary election on 7 June.
Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela has secured a fourth successive election victory for his Labour Party, extending its hold on power, though with a reduced majority compared with previous polls.
Nicaraguan indigenous leader and former lawmaker Brooklyn Rivera has died in state custody at the age of 73, according to local media reports citing his family.
At least 46 people, including six children, have been killed in a powerful explosion at a building used to store mining explosives in northeastern Myanmar, according to local media reports.
South Africa's preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have suffered an unexpected setback after the national team failed to depart for Mexico as scheduled on Sunday (31 May) because some players and officials had not yet received their visas.
Five people have died after a mine shaft collapsed during an illegal mining operation in southwestern China, state media reported on Sunday (31 May), just days after the country's deadliest mining disaster in more than a decade claimed at least 82 lives.
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