A shipment of medicine for dozens of hostages held by Hamas arrived in Gaza on Wednesday, as part of a mediation agreement concluded between France and Qatar.
The delivery of the first shipment of medicines for hostages held by Hamas comes as part of an agreement reached, through mediation by France and Qatar. This is the first agreement reached between Hamas and Israel since the week-long ceasefire in November.
The deal could bring respite to some of the approximately 100 hostages who remain in captivity, as well as Palestinians in Gaza who desperately need help. But fighting still rages in many parts of the besieged enclave, and the end of the war – or the release of the hostages – still seems far away.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Majed al-Ansari, announced late Wednesday on X (formerly Twitter) that the shipment had reached Gaza, without specifying when or how the medicines would be distributed.
“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“, he wrote.
A senior Hamas official said that for every box provided to the hostages, 1,000 boxes of medicine would be sent to the Palestinians. The agreement also provides for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the inhabitants of Gaza.
According to Qatar, the medicines will be delivered to the hostages by the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. It was not immediately clear when the drugs would be delivered, or how the delivery would be verified. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts.
French diplomacy indicates that it took months to organize the shipment of the drugs. Qatar, which has long served as a mediator with Hamas, helped broker the deal that will provide three months of medication for chronic illnesses to 45 of the hostages, along with other medications and vitamins. Several elderly men are among the remaining hostages.
Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, said the International Committee of the Red Cross would deliver all medicines, including those intended for the hostages, to hospitals serving all parts of Gaza. The ICRC declined to comment.
The agreement came 100 days after the start of the conflict and as Palestinian militants continue to resist in Gaza facing one of the deadliest military campaigns in recent history. More than 24,000 Palestinians have been killed. Some 85% of the narrow coastal territory’s 2.3 million residents have fled their homes and the United Nations says a quarter of the population is starving.
The latest agreement reached at the end of November between Israel and Hamas resulted in a temporary truce in exchange for the release of more than 100 hostages, mostly women and children, and the release of dozens of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.