GAZA, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Hamas said on Sunday that it is ready to comply with a request from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to deliver food and medicine to Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip.

Abu Obeida, spokesperson for Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in a statement that this step, however, is contingent on "the normal and permanent opening of humanitarian corridors for the passage of food and medicine to all areas of the Gaza Strip and the cessation of all forms of enemy air raids during the delivery of parcels for the hostages."

Obeida said the Brigades "do not intentionally starve the hostages," adding that "they eat what our fighters and our people eat, and they will not receive special privileges in light of the crime of starvation and siege."

The announcement comes hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a phone call to the regional head of the ICRC, Julien Lerisson, requesting his urgent intervention to secure food and treatment for the hostages in Gaza.

Between Thursday and Saturday, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad released videos showing three Israeli hostages in visibly fragile condition. The videos have sparked protests in Israel, with demonstrators urging the government to reach a ceasefire deal to secure the hostages' release from Gaza. ■