Protesters urge more help for hostages

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This article was published 17/12/2023 (663 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Protesters gathered outside the Canadian Red Cross’s Winnipeg branch Sunday, calling for the humanitarian organization to do more for hostages caught in the war between Israel and Hamas.

“They should be demanding access to the hostages,” said Ken McGhie, one of roughly 15 people outside the Red Cross’s Pembina Highway location.

The Israeli Canadian Council held the gathering.

“Our rallies are not rallies about Palestinian people,” underscored Ron East, founder of the Israeli Canadian Council. “It’s (a rally) to raise awareness about the hostages.”

The Red Cross is not fulfilling its mandate of ensuring hostages’ safety, he asserted. The Canadian Red Cross joins 189 national societies to form the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the world’s largest humanitarian network.

The Red Cross must remove civilian hostages from the war, East stated.

At least 240 people were abducted in the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, according to an Associated Press report. Since then, the hostages’ families have rallied for deals to bring the victims to safety.

The Israeli Canadian Council has held a number of different rallies, highlighting their concerns about the war and its coverage, East noted.

– staff