Berliner Tageszeitung - Hamas hostage relatives urge Red Cross to help free them

"SOS!! Somebody has to be there taking care," said Doris Liber, mother of Guy Iluz, 26, of whom she has heard nothing since the assault in which Israel says some 1,400 people were killed.

Her son was at a music festival close to the border with Gaza and the focal point of the carnage.

"He went to the party. And he called. He called from the party. We heard the shotguns. He was injured," Liber said.

Liber joined relatives of other missing persons presumed to be among the hostages to meet International Committee of the Red Cross president Mirjana Spoljaric Egger and UN human rights chief Volker Turk.

They insist much more must be done to both try and secure the release of those held and also obtain more information.

"Absolutely nothing has been done. We expect Europe to stand and say this is not acceptable, this is not right, this is not human in any way. We expect Europe to stand up and shout," said Assaf Shem Tov, uncle of Omer Shem Tov, 21, who was also at the music festival.

"We ask humanity to interfere and bring back all those young boys, young girls, mothers, babies. All the people, they should be released immediately."

He urged the Red Cross to visit the hostages to ensure they are being well treated.

The Israeli military said earlier Friday that "the majority" of those abducted to Gaza -- a wide mix of nationalities -- were still alive.

Hamas meanwhile reported the release by its armed wing of two American hostages "for humanitarian reasons."

- Swiss mediation sought -

Israeli forces say their troops killed some 1,500 Hamas fighters in its counter-offensive after the October 7 attack took Israel by surprise.

Health ministry sources in Hamas-run Gaza say more than 4,000 people -- mainly civilians -- have also been killed in relentless Israeli bombardments in the days since.

Michal Dorset, aunt of Romi Gonen, 23, who also attended the music festival, said not enough was being done to free the hostages.

"We want to show what we feel... There are organisations that are getting paid for this. That's their job. It's not politics. It's not taking sides. It's taking care of people."

Countries who have nationals being held -- including the United States, Britain and France - have been working in the background to try for a breakthrough with Israel officially at the forefront of the negotiations.

Neither Washington nor the European Union have any direct channel to Hamas, which they consider a terrorist organisation.

Jonathan Gutman, who lives in Prague but who was in Geneva seeking news of his cousin Eviatar David, 23, said he hoped Swiss neutrality could enable the country to mediate.

But he added he hoped Bern would consider carefully whether it should join Brussels and Washington in listing Hamas as a terror group.

"As a person personally affected, I understand totally the sentiment. But from a practical standpoint, I have the fear that Switzerland will lose this unique position of being neutral if that goes forward.

"We need you as a country to mediate in this situation," Gutman said.

Noam Har Tzvi, 28 and a friend of Shoshan Haran, 67, a resident of the Be'eri kibbutz targeted who is missing and presumed abducted, also hoped Switzerland could help.

"I think Switzerland has a very unique status … that gives them the opportunity to realistically help us and to be the channel for me to see her again," she said.

O. Petrow--BTZ