Qatari Government Mediates Agreement for Entry of Medicines into Gaza Strip
The Qatari Government announced today that Israel and the Islamist group Hamas have reached an agreement for the entry of medicines for the civilians of the Gaza Strip. This comes in exchange for the delivery of the necessary drugs for Israeli hostages in the enclave.
According to Majed bin Mohamed al Ansari, spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the success of Qatari mediation in cooperation with the Republic of France led to the agreement between Israel and Hamas for the delivery of medicines and other humanitarian aid to civilians in the most affected and vulnerable areas of the Gaza Strip.
The medications and aid are set to depart from Doha to the city of Al Arish in Egypt aboard two Qatari Armed Forces planes, and will then be transported to the Gaza Strip.
The humanitarian agreement between Israel and Hamas comes four days after the Israeli prime minister’s office announced the agreement for the delivery of medicines for the 136 Israeli hostages still held captive in Gaza. Despite the announcement, no date had been set for their arrival until today.
Qatar, as the main mediator with Egypt and the United States in the Gaza war, has not detailed how the medications will be delivered to the hostages. During the release of the hostages in the truce at the end of November, the International Committee of the Red Cross facilitated the process of their departure from Gaza to Israel.
The death toll in Gaza since the beginning of the conflict on October 7, 2023, has reached close to 24,300, with 70% of the casualties being children and women. Additionally, approximately 8,000 people are missing and believed to be under the rubble of destroyed buildings, according to Gazan authorities. The devastation in the region is unprecedented.