Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to Israeli hostages held in Gaza, following the release of disturbing videos showing captives in severely emaciated conditions.

The appeal was made during a Sunday phone conversation with ICRC regional coordinator Julien Lerisson. Netanyahu urged the agency to ensure food and immediate medical care are delivered to the hostages, some of whom have appeared in videos with visibly deteriorating physical conditions.

"We are appalled by the harrowing videos," the Red Cross stated, renewing demands for immediate access to the hostages. The organization has consistently been denied permission to visit those held by Hamas since their capture.

In response, Hamas's armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said it would grant the Red Cross access only if humanitarian corridors for food and aid are opened across the entirety of the Gaza Strip. The group denied deliberately starving hostages but claimed they receive no preferential treatment amid the broader humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The controversy intensified after Hamas and Islamic Jihad released three videos in recent days showing hostages Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David appearing gaunt and weak. In one particularly disturbing video, David is seen digging what he describes as his own grave, an image that has ignited widespread outrage across Israel.

On Saturday, Netanyahu met with the families of the two hostages and described the footage as "profoundly shocking." He assured them that efforts to secure the release of all captives are ongoing.

The videos have renewed pressure on Netanyahu's government to reach a truce agreement, with tens of thousands of Israelis rallying in Tel Aviv over the weekend demanding immediate action to bring the hostages home.

International condemnation followed quickly. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas denounced the videos as evidence of Hamas's "barbarity" and called for the "immediate and unconditional" release of all hostages. She also urged that "large-scale humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach civilians in need," while repeating calls for Hamas to disarm and relinquish control over Gaza.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate. According to the UN, famine is imminent, and aid deliveries are routinely hampered by security concerns, logistical challenges, and Israeli restrictions.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by the US and Israel, has attempted to facilitate food distribution, but these efforts have sometimes turned deadly. On Sunday, nine Palestinians were reportedly shot and killed while waiting at a GHF aid point near Rafah.

"The soldiers opened fire on people. I was there, no one posed a threat," witness Jabr al-Shaer told reporters. The Israeli military has not commented on the incident.

Braslavski and David are among 49 known hostages still held in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, in which 1,219 people were killed, most of them civilians. Israel's military campaign in Gaza, launched in response, has since claimed over 60,430 lives, also predominantly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory. These figures are widely accepted by the UN, though they remain difficult to independently confirm.

The United Nations Security Council is expected to convene an emergency session on Tuesday to address the worsening hostage crisis.

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