Ayelet Hashachar on the International Committee of the Red Cross to facilitate delivery of matzahs to the hostages still held in Gaza for Passover.
An Israeli organization supporting hostages held by Hamas has called on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to ensure captives can observe the key Passover ritual during the upcoming holiday.
Ayelet Hashachar, which provides assistance to hostages and their families, filed a formal request through the Esrazon law firm asking the ICRC to facilitate the delivery of matzah—unleavened bread essential to Passover observance—to Israelis still held in Gaza.
“Consuming matzah during Passover represents over 3,000 years of Jewish tradition commemorating the exodus from slavery in Egypt,” the organization stated in its appeal. “This ritual holds profound religious significance as Judaism’s only mandatory food-related commandment.”
The organization has requested that the Red Cross take all necessary steps, and including direct communication with Hamas, to arrange for matzah deliveries before Passover begins on April 12 and continues through April 19, 2025.
The appeal cites the Fourth Geneva Convention, which guarantees protected persons “respect for their persons, their honor, their family rights, their religious convictions and practices” under all circumstances.
Ayelet Hashachar representatives confirmed they have already prepared the ritual matzah at a special ceremony in the Tel Aviv plaza dedicated to the hostage crisis, and stand ready to provide it once the Red Cross secures a transfer arrangement.
This development comes amid ongoing concerns about the physical and psychological wellbeing of hostages who remain in captivity more than 18 months after their abduction.
