Gaza authorities accuse Red Cross of ‘double standards’ over handover of dead Palestinians, Israelis

By Iyad Nabolsi and Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) – Gaza’s government media office accused the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Thursday of “double standards” regarding the handover of the bodies of Israeli and Palestinian prisoners.

“While the Red Cross holds solemn official ceremonies when receiving the bodies of Israeli hostages, it delivers the bodies of Palestinian martyrs in blue bags tossed into trucks that lack the most basic elements of human dignity,” Ismail Thawabta, who heads the media office, said on X.

“This blatant discrimination reflects double standards and exposes the international community’s failure to achieve justice and fairness!”

There was no immediate comment from the Red Cross on the accusation.

Last September, the ICRC denied any role in the transfer of the remains of dead Palestinians from Israel to Gaza.

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli captives early Thursday under a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

The ceasefire deal took effect last month, halting Israel’s genocidal war that has killed at least 48,300 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.