The following is a statement attributable to Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross.  

Geneva (ICRC)—The ceasefire agreement has saved countless lives and offered a beacon of hope amid unimaginable suffering. Any unravelling of the forward momentum created over the last six weeks risks plunging people back into despair.  

Jerusalem (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in an overnight operation returned the remains of four deceased hostages to Israel and transferred 537 Palestinian detainees to Gaza and the West Bank. In total 642 detainees were released today from places of detention in Israel. The ICRC overnight also returned the remains of another deceased person back to Gaza from Israel following an initial transfer on 20 February. This comes after six hostages were released and returned to Israel on 22 February.

Jerusalem (ICRC) - Today the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) brought back the remains of those who should have been reunited with their loved ones in life, not in death. 

Our role today was to fulfill a vital humanitarian duty to allow families to mourn with dignity. They deserve to grieve and honour those they lost with a proper burial.   

Geneva (ICRC) – As we prepare for the next release operation, we once again call for all releases to be conducted in a private and dignified manner, including when they tragically involve the deceased. 

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will continue to fulfil the role assigned to us by the parties. This work is a fundamental humanitarian duty. We must be clear: any degrading treatment during release operations is unacceptable. 

Jerusalem (ICRC) – The continuation of the ceasefire agreement has enabled more families to be reunited as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) safely transferred three hostages out of Gaza to Israel, and 343 Palestinian detainees from Israeli places of detention to Gaza and the West Bank. A total of 369 detainees were released today. 

Many are now seeing for themselves the significant parts of the Gaza Strip that have been left in ruins: gaping holes, destroyed homes and piles of rubble that have made neighborhoods unrecognizable. 

Many returned north, where essential services are barely functioning. There is very little fuel, and no way to pump water to houses. People are forced to walk for hours through destroyed streets to find drinking water – that which may not be completely safe.

28 February 2025, Jerusalem/Amman/Geneva – A five-day mass polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip concluded on Wednesday, reaching nearly 603 000 children under 10 years of age with novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) following comprehensive, simultaneous access to all five governorates during the ongoing ceasefire. The campaign was conducted as part of emergency efforts to end an ongoing poliovirus outbreak and prevent further spread in the Gaza Strip.  

Since 7 October 2023, the escalating crisis in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory has caused large numbers of civilian deaths and injuries. In the Gaza Strip, airstrikes and a lack of medical supplies, food, water and fuel have virtually depleted an already under-resourced health system. Hospitals have been operating far beyond capacity due to rising numbers of patients as well as displaced civilians seeking shelter.