Since its founding in May 1881, the Red Cross has been revered as a cornerstone in the global effort to provide humanitarian aid to suffering populations.
Over the years, the organization has garnered the trust and support of millions for its dedication to serving those who cannot help themselves. However, recent actions have illuminated a disturbing pattern of failure in how it treats Jews.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross’s (ICRC) mission statement, the organization “protects the lives and dignity of victims of war and internal violence and provides them with assistance,” but since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War on October 7, 2023, the Red Cross has utterly failed in carrying out its mission.
On that dreadful day, Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists invaded southern Israel, murdered over 1,200 innocent men, women, and children, and kidnapped approximately 250 people, holding them hostage in Gaza.
Today, 73 hostages remain in captivity. For nearly 500 days since the war began, the Red Cross has failed to visit and provide medical assistance to a single hostage while in captivity, in total and complete violation of their mission statement. The nonprofit organization claims to be unable to access the hostages, though there is reason to question that claim.
Failure to publicly condemn Hamas
At the same time, the Red Cross has failed to publicly condemn Hamas for their violations of international human rights in preventing care and medical treatment to those in captivity. One wonders if the Red Cross simply has a Jewish problem.
On February 8, 2025, in accordance with the ceasefire deal, Hamas released three Israeli hostages: Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami, and Or Levy. The state of Eli, Ohad, and Or sent shockwaves throughout the globe: their images were wrought with signs of malnutrition and neglect.
They bore a haunting resemblance to Holocaust survivors, their emaciated forms and hollow eyes echoing the unimaginable horrors of history. Were Eli, Ohad, and Or not deserving of medical treatment?
Per the Red Cross’s mission statement, they are committed to protecting the lives and dignity of victims of war. Eli, Ohad, and Or are three of many cases of innocent people robbed of their livelihoods, and forcefully taken captive to Gaza to endure continual torture and neglect.
They are victims of this genocidal war launched by Hamas, who deserved proper and adequate treatment from the Red Cross. For nearly 500 days, the Red Cross has failed Eli, Ohad, and Or, and they continue to fail the other 73 hostages that remain captive.
Seeing the horrifying and inhumane treatment of the innocent hostages brought me back to the time in 2016 I visited the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp (often referred to as Terezin) 30 miles north of Prague. Upon my visit, I learned an appalling fact of history: on June 23, 1944, the Red Cross sent a delegation to inspect Terezin.
The Nazis commenced Operation Embellishment, an attempt to make temporary improvements to the camp to give the visitors a positive impression. They cleaned up the camp, deported many Jews to Auschwitz to minimize the appearance of overcrowding, and built fake shops and cafes to imply the Jews lived in relative comfort, among other cover-ups.
The Red Cross, unfortunately, believed the ruse set up by the Nazis. According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Red Cross, following their inspection, issued “a bland report about the visit, indicating that the representatives were taken in by the elaborate fiction.”
Just as the Nazis successfully made Terezin into a ‘model ghetto’ to mislead the Red Cross and the rest of the world, Hamas has similarly orchestrated a highly choreographed event aimed at driving public perception about the conditions of the hostages.
The hostages, visibly emaciated and traumatized, were forced to smile, wave, and deliver statements to their captors, all while the Red Cross sat at the table participating in the whole charade.
Meanwhile, the Red Cross was quick to condemn Israel for filming the release of Palestinian terrorists. According to them, Palestinians accused of heinous acts of terror deserve more dignity and respect than innocent Israelis. Their Jewish problem continues.
Both scenarios involved the creation of a deceptive narrative through carefully staged events. In Terezin, the Nazis aimed to present a false image of Jewish life under their regime, while in Gaza, Hamas sought to portray itself as humane and just during the hostage release.
Choosing to look the other way
In both instances, the orchestrated scenes aimed to mislead external observers and conceal the victims’ grim realities – yet the Red Cross, whether willfully or blindly, chose to look the other way.
In light of the Red Cross’s behavior, one must ask: How can an institution so central to global humanitarian efforts turn a blind eye when it matters most? How can the Red Cross, an institution entrusted with protecting human dignity, continue in 2025 the same grievous failures it began committing since the outbreak of the war – once again abandoning the Jewish people in their darkest hour?
The Red Cross needs to provide answers and rectify its failures. Anything less would be a betrayal of the very mission they claim to uphold – and of the countless lives that depend on their integrity.
The writer is the associate director of Philos Latino, the Hispanic division at the Philos Project. He focuses on engaging and educating Hispanic students and pastors on Israel and antisemitism.