Sending medical supplies and other aid are being distributed under a deal negotiated by Qatar and France.
A shipment of medical supplies and other aid intended for Israeli captives and Palestinian civilians entered the Gaza Strip under a Qatar- and French-brokered deal between Israel and Hamas.
The aid delivery is the first agreement reached between Israel and the Palestinian group, and marks some progress since a short-lived truce ended on December 1.
“Humanitarian aid trucks allowed to enter southern Gaza are not enough to meet the desperate needs of the population,” Tel Aviv Tribune’s Hani Mahmoud said from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday .
The shipment arrived on Wednesday, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari confirmed. It is expected to be distributed by the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS).
“Over the past hours, medicines and aid have entered the Gaza Strip, in accordance with the agreement announced yesterday for the benefit of civilians in the Strip, including hostages,” al-Ansari posted on x.
Over the past few hours, medicines and aid have entered the Gaza Strip, in accordance with the agreement announced yesterday for the benefit of civilians in the Strip, including hostages.
Qatar, along with its regional and international partners, continues its mediation efforts in…
— د. ماجد محمد الأنصاري Dr. Majed Al Ansari (@majedalansari) January 17, 2024
Tel Aviv Tribune’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, noted that “getting there was not so easy.”
The process was mired in “complexities,” our correspondent said, as Hamas was under the impression the aid would not be inspected upon entering Gaza, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied such a deal, triggering “ political unrest” within his government..
Under the deal, 45 captives held by Hamas are to receive prescription medicine, while supplies for Palestinian civilians are to be distributed in parts of the besieged enclave that has been bombarded relentlessly by Israeli forces, leaving the entire population facing crisis levels of hunger and increasing risk of disease.
More than 100 of the approximately 240 prisoners captured by Hamas during its attack in southern Israel on October 7 were released during a November truce in which some Palestinian prisoners were also released.
Aid not enough to meet Gaza’s needs
Tel Aviv Tribune’s Mahmoud said at least 10 trucks were allowed in, adding that “the packages they brought included supplies for exhausted hospitals.”
“Palestinians here have become accustomed to queuing for more than half a day just to get aid or food stamps. It is incredibly difficult because the amount of humanitarian aid arriving is so small compared to the needs of more than 1.9 million displaced Palestinians,” he added.
The PRCS said on Wednesday that 146 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered from the Israeli-controlled Karem Abu Salem crossing – called Kerem Shalom in Israel – while 48 trucks entered Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt carrying food, water and medical supplies, in addition to 12 commercial trucks. trucks.
A senior Hamas official said that for every box provided to the captives, 1,000 boxes of medicine would be sent to the Palestinians.
French Ambassador to Israel Frédéric Journes told Israeli public radio Kan that he hoped the agreement would be a “first humanitarian step” toward the release of remaining Israeli prisoners.