Day 791: Did the Red Cross do all it could for hostages in Gaza?
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 5 December 2025
⏱️ 42 minutes
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Summary
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
This week, we're joined by Julien Lerisson, the head of delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Israel and Occupied Territories.
Berman reviews the organization's troubling history of failures regarding Jews, specifically during the Holocaust, but also moving forward in its rejection of Israel's national Magen David Adom chapter until two decades ago.
We learn about the ICRC's work in Gaza during the hostage releases and Lerisson shares the humanitarian group's frustrations with its inability to access those held by Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza.
Lerisson tells us about the group's core principle of neutrality and how a mission to serve humanity is at the center of its work in war-torn and disaster-prone regions.
Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.
IMAGE: Julien Lerisson (courtesy)/ A Red Cross vehicle carrying the remains of a deceased hostage handed over by Hamas militants heads toward the border crossing with Israel for transfer to Israeli authorities, in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, December 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Times of Israel's Laser Focus. I'm your host deputy editor Amanda Borchelle |
| 0:08.5 | Dan, and I'm here today, of course, with our diplomatic correspondent, Laser Bearman, but also |
| 0:13.7 | with a very special guest. We're here today with Julianne Lerreson, who is the deputy director |
| 0:19.8 | of operations at the ICRC. We're going to hear all about the |
| 0:25.0 | history of the ICRC in a minute. But first of all, Julianne, just welcome. Thank you for joining us |
| 0:30.3 | today on the Laser Focus. Thank you, Amanda. Thank you, Laser. Just a small correction. I was |
| 0:36.0 | the deputy director of operation. I'm now the country representative for Israel. |
| 0:39.9 | Excellent. And you should really update your ex profile, Julianne. |
| 0:44.1 | Absolutely. |
| 0:45.4 | Thank you for the correction. |
| 0:47.3 | So, first of all, I'm just going to ask you a few questions before we go to a break and then Laser will take over. |
| 0:52.3 | But I think everyone here in Israel, especially |
| 0:56.1 | those who are really focused on the hostage situation, nobody can forget the images of the ICRC |
| 1:04.1 | pulling our hostages out of Gaza, especially the mob scenes. Obviously, Laser will get into the staged ceremonies of the |
| 1:14.8 | releases, but the mob scenes in which it was so clear that these people were in direct danger |
| 1:23.2 | from Hamas, from all the different kind of terrorists that were surrounding them and the mobs of |
| 1:29.6 | Gazans. And I think for everyone here in Israel and anyone who cared about our hostages, |
| 1:35.3 | our hearts just went out to your people in this situation. And so my first question to |
| 1:41.3 | use Julianne is, what brings a person to give so much of themselves |
| 1:47.3 | for a nation that is not even theirs? |
| 1:50.0 | It's a very good question. |
| 1:51.2 | Thank you, Amanda. |
... |
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